


A second chance

by TiaThalita



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Bottom Peter Hale, F/M, Good Peter Hale, M/M, Mpreg, Multiple Personalities, Peter Hale Deserves Nice Things, Peter Hale Feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:48:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 19
Words: 55,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26289013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiaThalita/pseuds/TiaThalita
Summary: A fairy attack causes Derek to become a puppy again and end up in the care of Uncle Peter. Kid! Derek, just a tiny bit of Sterek, PeterxSheriff (that here is called John), drama, trauma, a little comedy and mpreg in the last chapters.The fic takes place after the end of the second season. And I’m ignoring all the rest.Despite having Sterek, that is not the focus of the fic.
Relationships: Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Lydia Martin/Jackson Whittemore, Peter Hale/Sheriff Stilinski
Comments: 48
Kudos: 77





	1. And I found you

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Uma segunda chance](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/678673) by TC Nagahama. 



> I wrote this fanfic originally in Portuguese about seven years ago or more, and I wanted to translate it into English to see if it would be as well accepted as it was in Brazil.  
> It focus is on Peter and how he interacts with the rest of the pack.  
> It starts light, but has heavier themes. So, I suggest paying attention to warnings and tags.

It was another boring chemistry class in which Prof. Harris was pleased to torment Stiles Stilinski with promises of free arrests and humiliation.  
Isaac tried in vain to focus on their experience, but something was catching his eye.  
A strong and extremely familiar smell invaded his nostrils and without realizing it, he sniffed in the direction he was coming from.

“As much as you like the perfume of your colleagues, Mr. Lahey, I suggest you pay attention to what you are doing before it explodes the laboratory.” Said Professor Harris, in his acid voice, making Isaac stop and pay attention to what he was doing.

Apparently, distracted by the smell, he did not realize that he left his experience cooking too long. He quickly turned off the fire, fanning frantically in a vain attempt to save something and not get zero. His face flushed when he noticed that many students were looking at him and some even showed joking little smiles.

Stiles threw a paper ball at Scott, who, like many, was laughing softly at the situation, calling his attention.

“Dude, something caught Isaac's attention. Do you smell anything different?” He said murmuring, but knowing that he was being perfectly heard by the werewolves present.

Scott, without wasting time, started sniffing the air, and looked towards the door with his head tilted. Jackson too, but with narrowed eyes. Scott recognized Derek's scent, but it was a little different. Something had happened.  
He turned to Stiles, who was sitting three benches away and almost across the room, and murmured that the smell was Derek's, but that it was different. Stiles, obviously, did not understand what he said. Jackson, who was sitting with Danny on the bench next to Stiles, without realizing he nodded since he also thought he was the Alpha. Scott asked quietly for him to tell Stiles. He shook his head and turned his attention to the experiment he was doing with a smile on his face. He had no reason to help the one who was the stone in his shoe and who stole his place on the Lacrosse team.  
Scott realized that he was doing this as a prank and thought it best to ignore him. Stiles kept trying to get his attention. He was anxious, he wanted to know what had happened. He tried to communicate with mime, which caused some giggles in the room. He was bad at miming.

“What the hell are you doing? I don't understand anything, you fool.” Stiles complained in a low voice, making Jackson laugh, which caught the attention of Lydia and Allison who now looked at Scott with a curious expression.

Seeing that he was unable to communicate with his poor mimicry skills, Scott cut his red eraser in two and placed it over his closed eyes and kept making angry faces. If Stiles didn't understand now, he would give up.  
Stiles put his hand to his forehead when he saw that the professor was standing next to Scott, looking like he was paid enough for that. Danny nudged Jackson who, when he turned around and saw the scene, could not control himself and started laughing. Soon the whole class was laughing. Some even pointed.  
When Scott heard the laughter, he removed the erasers from his eyes and finally saw the face of the professor, who was furious beside him, Allison who was trying to contain her giggles, Lydia who was clearly embarrassed for him and Jackson, who by now had slipped out of his chair after laughing his ass off.  
Scott was left without action, and for an instant he looked terrified at the prospect of a detention. But the expression of relief soon came when the bell rang indicating the end of the class. Wasting no time, he ran from his chair, found Stiles at the door and dragged his friend out of there. Jackson looked for Isaac, but realized that he was no longer in the room, either. Then he ran, too, asking Danny to take his material.

“What's all the hurry for?” Allison asked the goalkeeper, who replied that he had no idea.

“Come on. Let’s check it out.” Said Lydia, dragging her friend, who turned to say goodbye to Danny.

As soon as Isaac left the room, he wasted no time and followed the trail he felt in class. He had a bad feeling, a tightness in his chest, because he knew that the smell he smelled was the smell of his Alpha, but the smell was not normal. It looked altered. It was him and at the same time it didn't seem to be. He feared that it had been some reaction to the Faerie attack they had faced days before, and that before he disappeared with an evil laugh worthy of a cartoon villain, he had managed to hit Derek full in the chest.  
The smell now came from the cafeteria, where almost all the students were meeting since it was time for lunch. Isaac picked up his pace when he realized that the smell now had a hint of terror. What could be going on there that would make Derek so scared?  
When he reached the cafeteria, Isaac noticed a commotion near one of the tables in the corner. Some teenagers jostled and pushed each other in an attempt to reach something that howled and howled under the table.

“But what's going on here?” Jackson asked, standing beside Isaac, who was startled to hear his voice. He hadn't noticed the arrival of the other wolf.  
But before Isaac could formulate an answer, a little ball of fur ran out and jumped in his direction. He reflexively caught him before he fell to the floor, holding him against his chest.

Silence washed over the room until the lady from the canteen arrived.

“Try to get that dog out of here right now. This is a cafeteria and not a kennel. You can't go out bringing your pets to school, you delinquents!” Scolded the lady with her hair in a net while brandishing a wooden spoon.

Jackson was pissed, clearly not used to having his attention called like that, and took a step ahead of Isaac, who turned extremely red when he saw that everyone was looking in their direction and the puppy in his arms. Instinctively, he used his jacket to hide the puppy, turned and ran out of there. After another ugly look at the woman, Jackson followed.

“Give it here, you'll crush it like that.” Said Jackson, with his eyes shining, when trying to catch the puppy, who cowered in Isaac and snarled at him.

“Where did you get that puppy?” Asked Lydia as she approached the two and stopped them in the hall.

“He is so cute! Can I hold it?” Asked Allison, trying to catch him too, making him growl again.

“Look, I think you better not touch it.” Said Isaac, moving away from her.

“And who named you its owner, Lahey?” Jackson asked in an irritated tone, with bright blue eyes, drawing the attention of some students who were down the hall.

“Oh my God! Is that Derek? What happened to him?” Scott asked, shocked to finally find Isaac and the others.

“Why would I know?” defended Isaac, with bright yellow eyes.

“If you don't know anything, then you shouldn't take care of him.” Said Jackson, trying to catch him.

Soon a small discussion started between the group, which exchanged accusations and provocations, drawing even more attention to them. Stiles, unable to stand it, before anyone could object, grabbed the puppy and dragged it out of Isaac and ran towards the parking lot.

“See you at home.” He shouted, heading for his car.

The fifteen-minute drive to his home was made in less than ten by committing several traffic violations. However, Stiles could have sworn it was the longest journey he had ever taken in his beloved Jeep.  
Controlling the little puppy had been practically impossible. He had spent the entire ride jumping over the benches, trying to get out of the window and even jumping on Stiles, making his head hit the steering wheel. If he had any doubts whether that was really Derek, at that time he was sure that it was himself, and he could have sworn the puppy was laughing, at the strange noises he made before finally settling down and sitting in the passenger seat with his tongue. out.  
Not wanting to allow the puppy to escape, Stiles left quickly and went around the jeep, opening the passenger door. He took the puppy and hid as much as he could in his red coat. He didn't want his nosy neighbors to see him coming into the house with a pet.

“Be quiet, Derek. Good boy.” Said, petting the puppy, who was staring at him with his head bowed.

“What are you hiding there, boy Stilinski? Does your father know about that?” Asked Mrs Hoffman, the noisiest neighbor on the street. Stiles could have sworn she took absurd pleasure in selling him to his father.

“Just a friend's dog. I better get in soon, before he goes pooping in the garden.” He said, making the puppy face him. “Say goodbye to Mrs. Hoffman, Derek. Always a pleasure to see you, Mrs. Hoffman.” He grabbed the puppy's paw by making a bye-bye and ran towards his house.

He sighed with relief when he came in the house, breathing hard, and locked the door, hugging the puppy.

“Please tell me you didn't steal that dog.” The sheriff begged when he saw his son with a puppy.

Stiles didn't have time to answer, because when he was about to open his mouth, the front door was broken into by several angry and slightly transformed teenagers.

“Stiles!” Isaac shouted, with bright eyes, snorting and claws sticking out. Jackson didn't seem much calmer.

In a panic, the only reaction he had was to raise his hands to take a step back. This attitude he regretted almost instantly, since when he did that the puppy that was held in his arms collapsed on the floor.  
They heard something breaking followed by a yelp of pain, and all Stiles could see before everything went black was two angry werewolves jumping towards him. Scott wasted no time in defending his friend, while Allison took a mini beast out of her backpack. Punches and kicks rolled loose, as did some arrows. And not even the sheriff was able to place any order there.  
The noise only stopped when they heard a cry.  
Isaac was the first to notice, and ran towards to check. Jackson and Scott followed.  
They saw a child of about four years old, naked, crying while holding one arm against his body.

“Derek? Did you get hurt?” Asked Isaac, to the crying boy.

The sheriff watched everything with a pale, shocked face.

“Can I see?” Asked Isaac, as he bent down, standing at the same height as Derek.

“My God! It's really Derek!” Murmured Lydia. “Who knew he was so cute when he was little.” She commented, drawing the attention of the boy, who hid behind Isaac.

“Derek? As in Derek Hale? How can he be Derek Hale?!” Asked the sheriff, confused, when he saw that Isaac had calmed the boy just by touching him, and that the arm that had been broken moments ago, was good as new. “You can start talking. Nobody leaves here until I know exactly what's going on.” The sheriff scolded, with an authoritarian tone that clearly indicated that they had no other option.

“I would also love to know.” Said a voice from the door.

Upon hearing that voice, half of those present became extremely pale.

Peter, noticing the general discomfort, couldn't help but smile. After all, he loved the effect he had on others. Distracted, he did not see the figure running towards him until it collided with his legs.

“Uncle Peter!” Derek shouted, hugging his uncle's legs and rubbing his face over them.

Everyone was horrified to see that Derek's psychopathic uncle was so close to his vulnerable nephew now. Isaac, Scott and Jackson approached carefully trying not to appear to be a threat, but with the clear intention of catching the boy.  
Peter, for his part, also seemed too shocked to react. He didn't seem to believe it. He took the boy by the arms and lowered himself in front of him. Everyone noticed his eyes shining violently before attacking Derek's neck.

”No!” They all shouted in horror. Even the sheriff had his gun pointed at Peter.

However, they did not count on the laughter that followed, instead of the terrified scream or the noise of meat being torn.

“Tickles.” Derek complained, trying to get rid of the uncle who was sniffing his neck and face.

Peter hugged him and looked in the direction of the others present.

“So? How did that happen?” He asked, still hugging the boy while running his fingers carelessly through his hair.

His eyes were clear, and for the first time since they met him, he looked sane.


	2. A puppy's pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was surprised by the quick response that this fic had.  
> I'm so happy.  
> I will try to translate the remaining chapters as quickly as possible.  
> There are 37 in total. 2 already here ;)

The moods had not yet calmed down.  
As the sheriff looked on the verge of a breakdown and Stiles feared for his health, they thought it would be best to call Melissa, Scott's mother, to act as an intermediary and explain the situation in a more subtle way, since apparently transforming into a werewolf and saying “Yes, werewolves exist”, as Scott had done minutes before was a bad idea.  
The young men went upstairs and were, at the moment, camped in Stiles' room, in an attempt to keep Derek from all the shouting. Which was useless, since even the humans present could clearly hear what was going on down there.

“So let me see if I understand” said the sheriff “all those deaths were your fault because apparently you were out of your mind after spending six years in a catatonic state” there was a pause in which they thought Peter would consent “and now you think I will let you out of here with that child?” Shouted the sheriff, clearly altered.

“And you seem to think you can stop me.” Replied Peter.

“Come on, calm down.” Melissa asked them both.

Isaac and the others had tried everything. Talk, draw, make origami. But apparently nothing caught the eye of Derek, who kept his expression closed, much like his adult version. The most they had achieved was to dress a T-shirt of Stiles on the child, who looked more like a huge sweater on him.  
Derek was looking towards the door, his eyes unfocused, clearly paying attention to the conversation going on in the other room. He was so unaware that he only realized that Allison approached when the girl touched his shoulder.  
He jumped so high it would have been extremely funny if he didn't have such a terrified expression. He looked petrified when he looked at Allison, and when she started to touch him again, he dodged and raised his arm in a clear attempt to protect himself. Lydia found it strange and tried to get closer too. He stepped back so much, he almost fell off the bed. The teenagers watched him with morbid curiosity.  
Wanting to end that situation, Jackson took Derek on his lap, taking him away from the girls.

“What is wrong with you? Can't you see he's scared?” Jackson scolded them, holding him against his chest in a protective attitude.

Derek looked comfortable on his lap, but he looked at him curiously. Jackson, blushing in front of his clear eyes, cleared his throat and placed Derek sitting in the chair of the PC far from the girls.

“I just explained that I'm a werewolf and you point a gun at me! Oh really?” Peter laughed, rising from his chair in a clear provocation.

“For God's sake, John! Put that gun down.” Asked Melissa.

“No way. We've been here for a long time, and the only thing I found out is that my son has been lying for the past few months, and that this man has been terrorizing everyone by killing right and left. Who knows if even the Argent girl was not framed in his place.” replied the sheriff, altered.

Such words had an immediate effect on Peter, and before the sheriff could dodge Peter attacked him.  
From the bedroom, the only thing they heard was a stumble and Melissa's scream.

“What did you do?!” Melissa shouted.

“He was asking.” Peter defended himself, also screaming.

The youths opened their eyes wide and froze. Stiles went pale and ran out of the room.  
Derek left behind, before anyone could catch him. He jumped up and turned into a wolf in the air, falling to the ground soon after, tangling himself in Stiles' shirt. But he quickly shifted and managed to get out by the collar.  
When Stiles reached the bottom of the stairs, he ran towards his father, but stopped halfway with a horrified expression when he saw the blood on his collar and his slightly weak expression.  
He felt a heaviness in his chest and an absurd difficulty in breathing.  
“Calm down, breathe Stiles! He's not dead, he'll be fine.” Melissa said, calming him down.

In moments, Stiles was finally able to breathe again. Without a second thought he closed the distance between him and Peter and gave him a strong push.

“Touch my dad again and I'll kill you, understand? I put aconite in your coffee, pluck your fur to make a new doormat, understand?” Shouted Stiles in Peter’s face, who was amused, looking at something on the floor.

”I just got tired of arguing and I passed my memories on to him. In ten minutes he'll be brand new.” Said carelessly without even looking at the boy, trying to calm the upset teenager “I swear!” Completed, raising his hands with bloody claws and facing Stiles, when he realized that the boy had not retreated.

Stiles seemed to accept the justification and calmed down a little. But then he noticed the weight on the tip of his All Star. He, without thinking, jerked his foot hard. His movements were followed by a yelp.  
When he looked down, he saw the wolf cub shaking his head, a little dizzy. The puppy took a few false steps, but soon recovered and ran to snatch the hem of Stiles' pants, snarling. Stiles shook his leg again, causing Derek to stagger and fall sitting down.

“What is he doing?!” He asked when he looked at the puppy that was now in front of Peter, in an attacking position with the front crouched and the rear raised, snarling and showing teeth.

“The same thing you were doing just now, Stiles. He's just cuter.” Said Peter, picking up the puppy. With contact with his uncle, Derek relaxed enough to transform again, wasting no time in cuddling up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his neck possessively as he continued to frown at Stiles.

The young man rolled his eyes and went to check on his father, who looked a little better and less pale. Scott went to the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets until he found a first aid kit so his mother could help the sheriff.  
Isaac approached, embarrassedly, with the shirt Derek was wearing, offering it to Peter, who stared at him with narrowed eyes for a few seconds, apparently analyzing something, but then accepted the shirt with a small smile causing Isaac to blush.  
An awkward silence ensued until the sheriff returned to normal.  
And everyone saw him wiping away some tears that escaped. He looked tired.

“That was ... intense.” He commented, running his hands through his hair. Peter replied with a sad smile “How do you intend to make this work?” He asked, indicating the child in his lap.

“You can not be serious. He's crazy!” Scott complained. “He was the one who bit me, mom. This should count as aggression against minors, right?” tried to incite the other teenagers, who were silent. “We don't need him. Derek could stay with us, right?” He asked his mother hopefully.

“We wouldn't know how to raise a werewolf cub, Scott. There must be numerous differences in the behavior of an ordinary child. Besides, we couldn't afford another resident in the house.” She said, embarrassed.

"He could afford it," said Stiles, pointing at Peter, "he's filthy rich."

"You know, I really don't feel comfortable rubbing it in everyone's face. I find it somewhat unnecessary.” Peter commented, making circular movements on his nephew's back, who was fighting a battle to stay awake.

“He has a Camaro!” Scott replied, pointing to Derek, who had lost the battle and was now dozing with his head on his uncle's shoulder with his mouth open.

“I said I thought it was unnecessary, not that he thought it too.” Explained Peter, bored. “I should have bitten Stiles.” He muttered under his breath, only for the werewolves who giggled. Scott looked offended.

“Why, instead of arguing, you don't ask him?” Isaac suggested, in a timid voice, unconsciously approaching the two.

“What world do you live in, huh? Am I the only one who doesn't know how it happened? Don't you find it a little strange that an adult goes to sleep in his late twenties and wakes up when he's four?” Asked Lydia, perplexed. ”What does it matter who he lives with?! We should focus on how to get him back to normal.”

Peter gently woke the boy who slept on his shoulder, who grunted hiding his face on his neck, before placing him sitting on the table, facing him and the other adults.  
Derek gave a huge yawn and then rubbed his eyes and looked at his uncle with a sullen face.

“Don't make faces. If a wind blows your face can stay like this forever.” Peter commented, in a carefree voice, making Derek's eyes widen “I'm just kidding.” He confessed, making the boy smile “Well, I want you to pay attention now, ok? I want to introduce you to someone. This is my good friend John and he is the sheriff,” he said, pulling the sheriff by the shoulders, “you must have heard him from up there because he obviously loves the sound of his own voice,” he muttered in a low tone barely audible to werewolves “he's really cool and wants to chat with you. So be nice and don't bite.” He completed moving away.

“I'm Sheriff Stilinski and you're safe here.” He said to the child, who was staring at him with huge, clear eyes with a curious expression. “Do you know your name?”

"Yes" Derek replied instantly, swinging his legs back and forth.

Everyone instinctively stepped forward in an attempt to hear the rest of the response that never came.

“Derek, be nice and answer right.” Peter asked, hiding a smile.

“But I answered. He asked if I knew his name and I said yes. He asked no more questions.” The boy explained to his uncle with a confused expression, making the sheriff rub his tired face.  
“What is your name?” Asked Stiles, taking the lead.

“My name is Derek Peter Hale.” He replied promptly with a smile.

“Are you called Peter too? Did anyone know that?” Asked Stiles to the others. “Only I didn't know that?”

“Focus, Stiles!” Scott said, pointing at the boy.

“Oh yes. Well, do you know where you are now?” the boy shook his head. “Do you know anyone in the room?” Derek nods and points to Peter and Isaac.

“Do you remember Isaac, then?” Asked Scott. Derek shakes his head. “Can you please help? I can't understand what he means.” He asked Peter, who rolled his eyes.

"He smells like Laura," Derek tries to explain, "that's why I followed the trail."

“He means that Isaac smells like a member very close to the pack, just like Laura. It smells like family, understand? Even though he didn't know his name, he managed to recognize the connection between them.” Peter explained, before anyone could ask.

“And how did you get there? Did you smell any clothes or something?” Jackson asked jokingly. However, the smile died when the boy nodded.

Then Derek told how he woke up in a dirty shed and got scared. Like when he looked for a family member and found Isaac's scent on clothes stored inside a train, which was in that shed. How he followed his trail to the school where there were bad people who kept pulling his feet and insisted on squeezing him. How he finally found the trail, but when he jumped on his lap he realized it wasn't Laura, because Laura didn't have curly blond hair and she didn't even speak thickly. Then he also explained how afterwards the boy who talked too much picked him up and ran away, and how fun it was to jump on the benches of the car, and that when they arrived they found an old woman who stank and was called Mrs. Hoffman, and that when they entered, Mr. Sheriff thought he was a dog and that the boy had stolen it from someone.

“You don't remember how you got that size, then?” Said Allison. “How did you become four again?”

“I have five, not four.” Derek replied, moving away from the curious girl who approached the table.

“What she means, dear, is if you remember anything before waking up in that strange place.” Said Melissa, with a hand on Peter's arm “What were you doing before?”  
Derek looked at her and his uncle, and ducked his head, embarrassed.

“Mom left me grounded in my room for biting the postman again. I said I was just kidding, but she didn't listen, and told me to stay there alone and think about what I had done” he confessed sadly “but I already thought. I swear!” He said, raising his right hand. “Can we go home now?”

All those present seem bland and without action. Derek noticed something strange when no one was looking directly at him.

“Can you guys give me a minute with him?” Asked Peter, in a tired voice.

“Do you think it's a good idea to tell him this now? Isn't he too small?” The sheriff was somewhat uncert.

“Tell him also how you killed his sister.” Muttered Scott, in a low tone only for werewolves.

As soon as he heard what Scott said, Derek turned toward him with an expression of evident pain, and Scott felt bad for saying something like that in the child's presence.

“I think you better get out of here, McCall. If you don't have something useful to say, then shut the hell up.” Said Jackson, dragging the other werewolf to the other room, without any delicacy, being followed by Lydia and Allison.

“You hurt Laura!” Derek said to Peter, before starting to cry. “I want to see my sister.” The boy sobbed.

“Calm down, I'll explain everything.” Asked Peter, with an anguished expression, trying to get closer to the boy who was trying to get away.

“What did Scott say, anyway? He was fine so far.” Stiles asked Isaac, who was watching Derek so he wouldn't fall off the table.

“He told him about Laura.” He replied in a low voice, with a closed expression.

Stiles was horrified by his friend's attitude and didn't think twice about going after him.

“What were you thinking, you idiot?” He shouted, pushing Scott who was arguing with Jackson. “I know that you are not the smartest crayon on the box, but didn't you think that dropping something like that to a child of this size without the slightest tact could be a little traumatic?” He vented, holding him against the wall. "He didn't lose a shoe, you stupid werewolf, he lost his whole family," he explained sadly, as only those who have lost someone in the family could understand.

Then he walked away and went back to the kitchen, running a hand through his hair.  
Apparently, nothing that Peter or the others spoke entered into Derek's ears, who rebelled more and more, even getting to look a little animalistic, not hesitating to scratch Peter with his little claws.  
Not knowing what else to do, Peter stepped forward and buried his nails in Derek's neck, who returned to his normal appearance with a yelp.  
Everyone saw the change in the last two members of the Hale family. The two of them now had their foreheads against each other and Derek no longer seemed to want to attack his uncle, and he just cried a lot, even sobbing. Peter tried to calm him down, making circular motions at the little boy's temples. And he didn't notice when his nephew stuck his little claws on the back of his neck.  
Stiles' father unconsciously put his hand on the gun when he saw that Peter had removed his hands from his nephew's face and had his hands, next to his body, closed in fists.  
Peter seemed upset by what his nephew had shown him, but he tried to hide it from the boy, who noticed his discomfort and started to cry even more.  
He walked away a little, not knowing how to react, running a hand through his hair, wiping his eyes and taking a deep breath.

“What happened? What did he show you?” Asked John fearfully.

“Apparently he still has all his memories, and when I showed mine, he was able to access some related ones. I already knew them, but seeing them in detail made me a little ... nervous” he explained, looking again at Derek, who started to cry even more.

“I think that's enough! This is already becoming a torture session.” Melissa got a glass of sugar water for the child.  
Isaac went to try to calm Derek, but in vain. Melissa offered the glass, but Derek was unable to drink, getting more and more nervous and ended up throwing up on the kitchen floor, drawing the attention of those in the other room.

“It wasn't your fault, Derek.” Peter said, as he approached his nephew, who was holding Isaac. "I'm not going to lie and say I'm not a little mad," he continued, taking the glass from Melissa's hand and offering it to the little one who drank it all, "but it'll pass," he promised, "and we'll fix it, okay? I'll fix it and make it work. But for that, we need to let some things go and start again, do you understand me, puppy?” Derek nodded, still sobbing. “Then go up with Isaac and try to get some rest, okay?” He suggested, giving Derek's neck a smell, which he sniffed back and then returning to Isaac's arms, hugging his neck between sobs.

Stiles motioned for Isaac to follow him back to his room, and all the teenagers followed, too. Isaac tried to put Derek to bed, but that made the little one stir even more.  
Lydia suggested that they try to give him a hot bath, as it used to soothe small children, causing other young people to look at her in surprise.

“I read it somewhere.” Defended herself. “You should try from time to time.” She grunted while looking at his nails.  
Allison nudged Scott, pointing to the side that Stiles was. When Scott looked in the direction of his friend, he noticed that his eyes were full of tears looking in the direction of Isaac and Derek. Not knowing what to do, he nudged his friend.

“Are you alright?” He asked, drawing the attention of Stiles, who wiped his eyes quickly when a tear fell.

"Sure," he replied automatically, "I think it's best to go and get them towels.” he said, running towards the bathroom.

It didn't take long for him to call Isaac and hand him a fluffy towel.

“I'll look for a clean T-shirt for him, but everything is ok inside.”

The curly-haired boy thanked him, taking Derek with him as he headed for the shower.  
Stiles wasted no time and went digging through his wardrobe in search of a smaller shirt that would look a little better on the boy.

“I really feel really bad about what I said. I had no right to say something like that to a child. I was just mad at Peter and what he could do with Derek.” Scott explained, without looking at his friend.

"I know," replied Stiles, without turning around, "it was my bad to have called you an idiot," he said quietly, "at least in front of you." He turned to his friend and offered a small smile.

“But you were right. I was an idiot.” Scott admitted, staring at everyone now “I didn't care for what he would feel just now, and you know what? Not even before. I never even bothered to express my condolences because he found his sister dead, nor did I care how he would feel about having to kill the last member of his family, I only cared about myself and how I couldn't be a human again.” He vented, sitting in the chair of the computer. Allison did not hesitate to hug her boyfriend.

At that moment, Isaac came out of the bathroom with Derek wrapped in the towel, looking at Scott. Apparently he had heard everything from the bathroom, which meant the little one had heard it too.

“I found this one here. It is the smallest I have.” Stiles handed a Batman T-shirt to Isaac, who put it on Derek quickly, sitting on the bed beside him.  
Stiles, without thinking, ran a hand through the damp hair of the boy who still sniffed now and then.

After Isaac handed the towel to Stiles, Derek did not hesitate to curl up on his lap, hugging him by the chest and leaning his head against his chest. He seemed calmer to hear Isaac's heartbeat. And then he closed his eyes, falling into a heavy sleep.


	3. You're not alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I wrote this fanfic, the sheriff's name had not been revealed in the series. Then, he became John.  
> To be honest, I don't even know his name, because I only saw everything until the fourth season. After that, I skipped the boring episodes.  
> So, in this fanfic, I only consider it until the second season, which for me, were the best.

After Derek fell asleep, the teenagers thought it was best to finally let him get some rest.

“I think we better go now. He just fell asleep and we don't want to disturb him anymore.” Jackson said to the adults who were still at the kitchen table talking, pulling   
Lydia towards the front door.

She paused for a moment and pulled away from her boyfriend, heading towards Peter. Coming to her side, she grimaced and held out her hand. He looked at her and laughed. Then he took out his wallet and handed over a credit card.  
Everyone was somewhat surprised by their non-verbal interaction and stared at them openly.

“What? It is not as if the boy could walk around in adult clothes” She said, shrugging and pulling Jackson.

“I don't know what would become of me without you, Lydia.” Peter commented with an evil smile, making her stop.

“You would be dead.” She replied with a fake smile. Then she blew him a kiss and headed for the exit.

After the two left, an awkward silence ensued in the room.

"At least now you have one less thing to worry about," said Melissa, breaking the ice.

“What was decided, anyway? Shall we take Derek with us, mom? Asked Scott.

The sheriff cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention.

“Actually, Scott. We decided that Peter will stay with Derek and Isaac, for now.” Said John.

Scott, Stiles and Allison didn't even have time to complain.

“He agreed to stay around and keep us updated on how they are adapting and everything.“ Melissa explained.

“He lives in an abandoned train station!” Scott exclaimed indignantly. Allison did not hesitate to put a hand on her boyfriend's arm, calming him.

“He will find a better and more appropriate place for a child and a teenager. It will also arrange all the necessary paperwork to adopt both.“ John spoke to the teenagers.

“So you will be able to see up close when I go all crazy again.” Peter teased in a low voice. Scott snarled in response.

“I'll say goodbye to Isaac and I'll be going too.” Said Allison, pointing to the stairs, not making much of a point to stay longer in the presence of the psychotic werewolf than necessary.

When no one answered, she hurried up the stairs.  
Stiles, who was somewhat dispersed, tapping his fingers on the kitchen door frame, came to himself when Peter stood up.

“Where are you going?” He asked the werewolf who looked at him oddly.

“To the same place I said I was going a minute ago.” Peter replied.

“Can you please stop making fun of me and reply at once?” Asked Stiles.

“Of course I could.” Peter agreed, not elaborating.

"Oh, my God, how unbearable you are" Stiles complained, squinting and taking a deep breath.

“I said I will look for a hotel for the night and then I will come to pick them both up.” Finally said Peter, with a small smile on his face.

Stiles blinked and narrowed his eyes looking at Peter.

“Why? You can stay in the guest room until you fix everything.” Stiles spoke quickly, surprising everyone “If you are really going to make it work, then you will need all the help you can since you will have a lot of details to put in order, and you will still have to take care of a teenager and an adult who has shrunk.” Stiles argued, gnawing his thumb.

“That, in a surprising way, was the most logical idea I've heard so far.” Melissa commented, impressed.

“Certainly it was” agreed John, proud of his son “I could help with the legal part too. You won't be able to walk around with the boy without any documents.”

Peter was surprised, but extremely happy to find that they were unconsciously approaching and wanted to be sure of Derek and Isaac's well being. If everything continued as it was, Derek's pack would soon have new members.  
The only problem was that he wasn't sure if Derek would continue with his Alpha status, now that he was so vulnerable. He had never heard of a turned alpha so young. But he also didn't have much to do but wait. So he would keep everyone close. Ensuring security with numbers was not a bad idea, after all.

“Wouldn't that be abuse?” Asked Peter, just for the record.

“Of course not! Abuse would be harassing a teenager to bring you back from the dead.” Stiles replied sarcastically, getting an elbow from Scott and making Peter laugh.

“Do you have any idea where you will live?” Scott said, trying to take the conversation more safely.

Peter seemed to consider it for a few seconds.

“Initially, I thought about rebuilding the Hale Mansion. But I thought that this would be the same as placing a sign inviting each and every hunter to visit us. And alone in the woods, we would have no way to defend ourselves, again. So, I think it's better to look for something in the middle of the city, for security.” He answered.

“Hide right under their nose? Great! Can I improve the idea?” Stiles intruded, advancing on Peter, gesturing a lot. “The house on the other side of the street is for sale.   
It is not small, nor very large. Best of all, it's right between my home and Scott's. Like, who's gonna mess with you? On one side there is the sheriff and on the other a werewolf. Cool, huh?” He asked, with a manic smile.

“That was going to be perfect!” Said Melissa, approving the idea and hugging Peter's arm. Peter couldn’t agree more.

John seemed very relieved, too, to be able to keep all this supernatural confusion in view.  
She, without waiting, dragged Peter and John by the arms towards the house across the street, before it was too late and they couldn't see the house that same day.  
Stiles seemed very proud of how he had solved everything, and he only stopped smiling when Scott slapped his neck.

“That was for throwing my mom at Peter.” Muttered Scott, glaring at his friend, who raised his hands in an indignant gesture.  
Scott, however, was distracted by the sight of Allison coming down the stairs. When she got closer to them, he could clearly see the naughty smile she was trying to hide by biting her lower lip.

“What did you do?” Inquired suspiciously.

“Nothing.” She tried to mislead them with an innocent expression “Ok, ok” She showed the cell phone to both of them.

“Oh my God. What a cute thing.” Commented Stiles, pulling out the phone and looking at the photo.

“I didn't know you thought of the picture of a male as cute.” Scott said to his friend, then glared at Allison.

“Don't be jealous, you fool. I wasn't taking Isaac's picture. I took them both asleep.” Allison explained, giving a kiss on the face of the boyfriend who smiled a little.

“Because apparently they sleep in a puppy pile.” Stiles showed the photo on her cell phone to his friend.

Now that he was analyzing the photo, Scott had to admit that they were very cute sleeping on top of each other.

“How can they be comfortable sleeping like that? They look like sleeping puppies.” Scott finally conceded.

She laughed and punched Scott in the arm.

“I couldn’t resist. But I confess that it was not just for that reason. Look at Derek's face on this one? Isn't he beautiful?” She showed the next photo, with a close up on the boy's face. “The funny thing is that in this photo here he reminded me of someone. But I have no idea who.” Laughed “I better go before my dad goes hunting me.” 

She joked “See you tomorrow.” She waved goodbye to Stiles and kissed Scott.

The hours flew by. It was already dark and Derek had finally woken up and the teenagers faced the difficult task of feeding the puppy. Difficult would not be the word. Perhaps impossible was more adequate.  
Stiles was already almost exhausting the range of gastronomic options that his culinary skills allowed and the kid even tried anything.

“I'm starting to think this is personal, kid.” Muttered Stiles. “I can hear your belly growling from here! Then choose something and eat.” He was exasperated.  
Derek simply snarled in response, showing his teeth.

The tension was broken when the doorbell rang and Scott ran to answer it.  
And what was his surprise when he was practically hit by Jackson who was crammed with bags and Lydia, with her nose up and smug smile.

“Where's our favorite psychopath?” Asked the girl looking around.

“Anxious for the murderous reaction when he knows how much you burned his credit card?” Stiles pinned, seeing the absurd amount of bags that Jackson was still trying to organize on the floor of his house.

She laughed nonchalantly, approaching the kitchen and the banquet at the table.

“Celebrating something?” She said, pointing to the food. Stiles and Scott snorted disgruntled and ignored the question.

“We were trying to do something he liked. But he doesn't want to eat anything.” Said Isaac, looking at the boy with a worried expression.

"He's a little brat." Muttered Stiles, cutting back the vegetables he was preparing.

Once again, their attention was diverted when they heard the door lock opening, indicating that the adults had finally returned.

“What a tiring day.” Peter complained, dragging his feet when entering the house “Food!” He said cheerfully, going to the kitchen. It was clear from the movement of his nostrils that he was smelling the environment.

John laughed at his reaction.

“Usually people are happy when they buy a house.” Melissa commented.

He went to the sink, and washed his hands. And he went back to the table, sitting down next to Derek with a smile.

“But I am happy” he commented smiling, taking a pancake and placing it on a plate “, with just a little headache. But it would be strange if I wasn't, because that lady had a high-pitched voice.” He laughed, cutting the pancake “You don't mind if I help myself, do you?” He asked, embarrassed, when he noticed that everyone had stopped to analyze him.

“No way. Feel free.” John replied, sitting at the table too and starting to help himself.

Peter smiled in his direction and started to attack the food. Derek followed his movements.

“So you really bought the house?” Isaac asked in a low voice, trying to bring up the subject.

"Yes" he replied, with his mouth full. Realizing that Derek had stood up and was on his side, he cut a few more pieces. Derek seemed a little unsure whether to take it or not, and Peter stuck one with his fork and gave to him, which he seemed to like a lot. “It's a little small, but I thought about breaking some walls and integrating some things, you know?” he said, gesturing. Derek slipped under his arm and sat on his lap. Peter didn't realize it until he tried to reach the plate, and saw that a small head blocked his view. He didn't seem to be bored. He changed his fork and reached for another pancake. “You have a room if you want to stay with us.” He commented, looking at Isaac.

“Sure” agreed Isaac, smiling. His eyes shone.

“How long do you think it will take to finish everything?” Jackson asked, wanting to break the happy mood that had set in between Peter and Isaac.  
Peter looked thoughtful.

“It shouldn't be long. Most just need to paint. We can hire someone to do the heavy duty.” He replied, taking a piece of fruit while Derek attacked a plate of broccoli.

“Scott and I can help paint.” Stiles offered, facing the wolves at the table.

“But I don't want to help!” Scott said, getting a slap from his friend on the back of the head. “Yeah, we’ll help. The more people the better.” Scott agreed, glaring at Stiles, and then at Peter with shining eyes.

“We don't need you, McCall. Lydia and I are more than enough.” Said Jackson, growling and his eyes shining.

John was getting a little alarmed by the situation. This was more like a fight over territory than an attempt to help a new family to settle.

“In fact, everyone's help is very welcome.” Said Peter, trying to calm the mood.

Which didn't do much good. The teenagers started to argue about who would go and who should help or not. Isaac thought they were intruding too much, since they wouldn't even live in the house. Jackson was outraged that he thought he was more important because he was part of the new pack. Isaac laughed at his face. Scott was in the middle trying to separate the two. Lydia said she didn't know why they were fighting so much, after all she was going to choose everything there, since they had no taste. None of the teenagers dared to contest her in this regard and they returned to discuss among themselves.  
The discussion got heavier and heavier, and it ended only because John decided to stop by getting up and slapping his palm violently against the table. Derek and Peter, who until then were ignoring the teenagers, looked at him in astonishment.

"I don't know what's going on here, but I think you'd better stop now," he said, in his authoritarian lawman's voice, "you're out of control. You are almost ripping each other's necks and your eyes had that insane glow. So either stop this discussion now or I take everyone to calm down in a cell at the police station.” He threatened, taking a deep breath and sitting down again.

Melissa, trying to save the night, asked if Derek would like to choose some new clothes to put on. He, who was still in Peter's lap, looked at her in awe. She, seeing that he had no intention of getting up, approached the two of them, unconsciously placing a hand on Peter's shoulder, before smiling and offering her hand. Derek hesitated a little, but held her hand, following her into the living room.

Everyone looked a little shocked and looked at Peter for explanations, but he responded with an eloquent "What?"

Lydia followed the two into the living room and approached the boy to show him some clothes and as before, he dodged. She then sat on the floor, standing at his level, and started opening the bags. Soon, the others approached too. She separated two bags and handed them to Peter, who looked at her in surprise.

“I thought you were going to need some things, since I doubt you even bothered to bring anything from that decrepit place you were before.” She explained, returning his credit card.

Peter declined the card saying that Lydia had better stay with it as she intended to help him furnish everything. Then, he handed one of the bags, after seeing inside, to Isaac, who turned red as a tomato. Without thinking, he stroked the teenager's curls quickly, as if he were five years old. But before he could be mortified by his impulsive attitude, he was surprised by the smile that Isaac gave him.  
Apparently Isaac had not bothered at all with Peter's display of affection. The same could not be said for other teenagers. Jackson was livid, and even Stiles and Scott exchanged looks after witnessing their interaction.  
Melissa soon opened the bags, looking for underwear for the boy and dressing him. Then he pulled out a pair of jeans, but before putting them on, he showed them to Scott.

“Look at that tiny thing! And to think that you used to be that tiny, too.” Said Melissa, showing the tiny pants to her son, who turned red. Then she pulled on the pants on Derek.

“If you liked the pants, look at this.” Lydia said excitedly, showing a tiny leather jacket.  
Melissa couldn't stand it and gave a hysterical little cry, saying how cute it was. The men laughed and Peter had to agree it was his nephew's taste.  
Lydia realized that Derek was looking quite interested in the jacket and offered it to him. He looked interested, but turned away from the girl.

“That was not polite, Derek.” Melissa caught her attention.

“I'm sorry.” He murmured with his head down, still not approaching the girl.

Peter looked disgusted when he saw the situation that John thought for a second that the werewolf might have thought it was bad for Melissa to get Derek's attention, but when he saw him bend down in front of Derek and take him to Lydia, he realized that that was not why.

“This is Lydia and she is a very dear friend of mine. Without her, I probably wouldn't be here” he said, indicating the girl who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Derek seemed to be analyzing her “Don't be alarmed by her attitude. Underneath this whole empathy there is a very nice and intelligent girl. You can trust her, I guarantee.” Completed, making the boy relax.

Lydia was surprised when she felt the boy's fingers playing with the curls of her hair. She smiled. He turned quickly and took a T-shirt from one of the bags and handed it to him, along with his jacket.

“That shirt with that jacket will be a hit.” She said when handing the clothes to him and winking. Derek smiled as he took it and returned to Melissa's side, who squeezed his cheeks.

“He should smile more.” thought Lydia, watching the boy. Then she started looking for socks and choosing a suitable shoe “This is like playing with dolls.” She laughed, enjoying herself as she joined Melissa and Derek.

Peter took advantage of the fact that Derek seemed relaxed enough and went back to introducing the rest of the people.  
He introduced Scott as Melissa's son, which gives the youngster an automatic positive endorsement from Derek. Stiles, with being someone who always helped even when he didn't like the people he was helping, as part of the pack of Scott and John's son. John, like the sheriff who defended the whole city, making everyone safe. Hearing this, Derek looked at him with almost palpable admiration and John couldn't help but straighten up and give a small puff in his chest. It was great to be recognized. Jackson had been introduced as Lydia's partner and as a training werewolf, as he was the last to be transformed.

“Why doesn't he smell like Isaac?” Asked Derek, curious.

"Because he didn't accept being part of our pack," said Peter. Derek looked sad at the answer and Jackson felt bad about it “maybe one day he'll change his mind.” He commented, making the boy smile at Jackson. “And you already know Isaac. He's -” started Peter.

“Family.” Cut Derek, with a giant smile for Isaac, who smiled back.

After the introductions, the mood became lighter and Derek seemed more comfortable playing with the teenagers and it was clear that he was enjoying all the attention he was given. And soon his energy ran out.  
Jackson and Lydia said goodbye to everyone and went to their homes, after having helped organize the guest room for the three new residents.  
Isaac, after having some problem recognizing his pajamas, dressed Derek and went to sleep, not without first registering with his cell phone the boy sleeping in his Pikachu pajamas, all yellow and with ears and tail.  
Scott did not think twice about flipping over on the floor of Stiles' room, wrapped in countless covers and sheets.  
But Stiles was restless. The day had had too many surprises and changes. His head was racing and he couldn't shut down and sleep. He tried, but when he got tired of tangling up in the sheets, he finally decided to go down and have a drink. Maybe after a hot chocolate, he could sleep.  
He got out of his bed very carefully so as not to wake his friend. However, when Scott was jumping, his friend turned in sleep and hugged his foot. By a miracle, Stiles did not fly on his face and managed to hold on to the nightstand. He spent a few moments trying to free his foot from his friend's bear hug, and when he ran out of patience, he kicked the other. Scott finally dropped it, making a face, turned to the side and snored again.  
He shook his head laughing, and went down the stairs. When he was on the bottom steps, he heard the three adults arguing in the kitchen. His father and Melissa seemed to be trying to convince Peter of something. Curiosity spoke louder and he hid to try to listen.

"I'm just saying it might be a good idea to take him to a psychologist or a psychiatrist," said John, "doing nothing would be irresponsible. You cannot just pretend that nothing has happened.”

“It is not that simple.” Peter replied tiredly “And how could he explain anything? The memories he has are from when he was older, and anyone who looks at him will not believe that he is almost twenty-three years old. They will only see a small boy. They will think that he is crazy and will end up spending his life taking medicine or interned somewhere.”

“But the way he reacts is not normal. It looks traumatized or something. You saw how he reacted with everyone, especially with Lydia.” Melissa said.

“I know that!” He said, exasperated. “When I was hospitalized, he and Laura visited me whenever they could” he started, drawing their attention “Laura told me that someone had done something with Derek, something bad. And that he was not the same. And I was sure of what she told me when I saw the memories Derek passed on to me.” He sighed. “I spent six years listening to her desperation at not being able to help her brother and him being martyred for something that was not his fault. I couldn't do anything before, but now I can.”

“What do you mean by something bad?” Asked Melissa.

Peter didn't have to say a word, his expression said it all. Melissa put a hand to her mouth, she was horrified.  
“But this crime has not expired yet. We can put this man behind bars and make him pay.” John said angrily.

“Her, John. Not him. And I don't think we can do that anymore” said Peter, sipping some of his cold tea.

At that moment, Stiles finally decided to enter the environment, without even disguising that he was listening to their conversation.

"You can't do that anymore, Dad," agreed Stiles, with closed fists, "Kate Argent is already dead."


	4. The evil has a surname

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The color of the glow in the eyes of the werewolves is correct. Everything will be explained during the chapters.

She was late. She had woken up in the nick of time and was super distracted. She just couldn't stop thinking about Derek and checking her photo on her cell phone from time to time.

"Don't waste your time, dear." Warned Chris, making her drop her cell phone in fright.

"If you startle me, I will end up more than late." He said, with his hand on his chest. Soon she got ready again.

He took out her cell phone and was startled when he saw the picture of Isaac and a sleeping child. He couldn't believe those animals' boldness in transforming innocent children.

"Are they turning children now, Allison? When did you intend to tell me?” He asked in exasperation, showing his daughter the cell phone with the photo.

He saw red when his daughter, instead of answering, simply started laughing. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself before he hit his daughter.  
She approached him and said that he got it all wrong.

"I would even say the pack has shrunk," he said, smiling at his father, who looked confused, "literally." Laughed "This little boy in the photo is Derek." He explained, taking out his cell phone "Can you see?" She showed the next photo, the close-up on Derek's face.

He took out his cell phone and analyzed the photo. It was Derek Hale.

"From what Isaac said, they had a problem with a fairy and the next day Derek woke up like that." He explained, seeing his father's curious expression.

"And the pictures?” He asked, handing the phone back to his daughter.

"Will you think I'm crazy if I say that he reminded me of someone that I don't know who and that that's why I took the pictures?”

"Of course not," he said, smiling, "you were always very perceptive," he commented, making her look at him strangely.

"I have to go. See you later, dad." She said goodbye, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

A few hours later, they were all seated at their usual table.

"I can't believe he gave you the car key and not me," complained Stiles, looking at Isaac, "you don't even have a license to drive." He grunted, opening the water bottle with some violence.

"As if you were going to know how to drive a Camaro, Stilinski. Don’t you think it's a little more than your level?" Teased Jackson and Lydia nodded, smiling. Isaac laughed.

"Could you guys shut up?” Scott asked sulkily.

"Did you sleep with your butt out, McCall?” Jackson asked, laughing. "Never mind, I'd rather not know." He said, making a face.

"I’m here! Sorry for the delay, love." Said the hunter while giving Scott a kiss on the cheek. "Hi!" He greeted the others, who waved back.

Seeing that Scott had cringed even at Allison's tone of voice, Isaac couldn't help bragging.

"Wow, how annoying you slept badly. I slept like an angel." He said to Scott, with a huge smile.

"Who can sleep well with someone typing all night?” Complained Scott, glaring at Stiles who replied that he slept there because he wanted to, since he could have gone home.

"So, did he wear the pajamas?” Asked Lydia, leaning over the table, towards Isaac who smiled and showed her a photo on his cell phone.  
Jackson, not liking to feel off topic, took Isaac's cell phone and saw the photo. Derek was in gold yellow plush pajamas, with rabbit ears and a lightning-tail. Allison was practically slung over his shoulder to be able to see too.

"That, strangely, is one of the most ridiculous and cute things I've ever seen." Jackson commented, returning the cell phone to Isaac.

Scott and Stiles still seemed to be discussing their evening activities, while the others were talking to each other.

"And for your information, I was researching some of the things I heard when I came down at dawn," said Stiles.

"Did they already decide to send him to a psychiatrist?” Asked Lydia, meddling in their discussion.

Stiles was surprised. He didn't think any of them had noticed anything wrong with Derek. But of course, if anyone were to notice that someone it would be Lydia Martin.

"They agreed that it would be a good idea, but the problem would be to find someone who did not notice the differences in the times, since they would be repressed memories of a past time, but that would be the future now.”

Lydia consented, fully agreeing with his logic. The others looked at him strangely, as if doubting his mental health.

"Are you retarded? That makes no sense." Jackson vocalized the thoughts of the majority.

"Confess. You are only with him because he makes you feel smarter" Stiles said to Lydia, who replied that Jackson at least was handsome "Look, anyway, at the moment, who is going to fill the shoes is Peter, okay? He said he is a psychologist." He explained.

"But he's crazy, and he's already tried to kill us." Scott argued.

"And? You tried to kill me too,"said Stiles, getting irritated, "and he" pointed to Isaac "and sure enough he did." Said, pointing to Jackson. "Can you see a pattern here? Peter, unlike you, never tried to kill me directly. And when he had the chance, he sent me away and only bothered to bend my Jeep keys. Which makes me even more pissed off that he gave the Camaro key to this one today." He grunted, and then bit an apple.

"As far as I know psychologists cannot have very close patients." Lydia commented, interested.

"He's totally unstable." Scott was outraged.

"You will see that the talk that every psychologist needs a psychologist or he goes crazy is true." Stiles commented, with his mouth full.

"I do not think so. He looked very good to me." Defended Lydia.

"And how can you be sure?” Said Allison, looking at her friend.

"The calm and care with Derek and Isaac reminded me of him at seventeen." thought Lydia. "Guess." Said out loud. Jackson, Scott and Isaac face her. Apparently they realized her lie.

"What I don't understand is why this need for psychological or psychiatric support" Jackson commented ", all this due to the attack of the fairy?”

"Of course not." Stiles denied. "Apparently, someone approached Derek when he was younger, and the two were somewhat involved ... inappropriately, and it ended up leaving Derek a little traumatized and it became more evident now that he shrunk." He explained and went back to eating his apple.

Everyone at the table looked a little sick. Isaac even looked a little pale. Scott, however, still looked confused.

"Isaac's father also had several inappropriate attitudes towards him, and nobody sent him to a psychologist." Scott said, confused.

Isaac went paler than before. Jackson leaned over the table and gave Scott a rough slap on the head.

"Wake up to life, McCall. He is not saying that someone used to clean the floor with the boy, he said that someone molested him." Scott was horrified by the explanation.

"Confess. You are his friend because he makes you feel smarter" Lydia commented to Stiles, looking at Scott with disdain. Stiles gave a small yellow smile in response.

"Now it makes sense how he reacted to Erica's advances." Said Isaac, drawing the attention of others "She used to throw herself at him all the time. It was very aggressive, and sometimes managed to steal a kiss. But he never reciprocated anything. The last time, just before our first full moon, he was very clear when he said that he didn't want to hear about that kind of attitude with him anymore." Said.

"It had to be that bitch." Lydia commented, and Allison couldn't help but agree.

Stiles was very irritated by what Isaac said, but he couldn't say why. After all, Derek wasn't even his friend. At most it was someone who loved to practice bullying with him.

Everyone was a little quiet and turned their attention to the terrible food in the cafeteria. Allison played with her food, appearing to be lost in thought.

"Does anyone know Derek's real age?” Asked Allison, as if he wants nothing. Lydia was watching her from the corner of her eye.

"He was going to turn twenty-three in July." Isaac replied.

She pushed the plate away and looked Stiles in the eye.

"Kate did it to him, didn't she? My aunt Kate?” She asked, drawing the attention of others.

Stiles, for a moment, thought about denying and lying. But his disgust at Kate Argent was so great that he thought it was only fair that his niece should know the atrocities she committed.

"The one and only. How did you know?” He asked, tossing the rest of his apple on the plate.

"That bitch!” Allison cursed, her eyes filling with tears.

She then told how her aunt pejoratively referred to Derek when she kidnapped and tortured him so that he could tell the identity of the other beta. How she made rude comments about sex, implying that there was a story between them and that she referred to him as a simple object.

"No wonder he hates me, I look just like her." Commented, sniffing "Excuse me" she says before leaving in a hurry. Everyone was penalized to see how Allison felt, but they couldn't disagree that this is probably the reason why Derek reacted so badly to her.

Scott started to get up and go after his girlfriend, but Lydia motioned for him, and said she would take care of it.

He couldn't stay at home all day. John had asked him to avoid going out, but he was bored. He had already gone to the abandoned warehouse to pick up some belongings, before some stupid hunter found the base and destroyed everything.  
Now that his notebook was safe and sound, and as a result all the information he managed to gather after he came out of the coma, along with a few photos he scanned. He was clearly relieved.  
But I needed to see people, feel the sun. Derek was too young to spend the whole day holed up in a house.  
He decided to take the keys to the Stiles' Jeep, since the boys had taken Derek's Camaro when they went to school, and to go to the supermarket to replenish the sheriff's pantry since sheltering, even if temporarily, three werewolves ached in any one’s pocket. And the last thing he wanted was to cause more trouble than necessary. So far John had done nothing but help, so that was the least he could do.

"I do not want to go." Derek said, stamping his foot on the floor.

"Don't be silly, it's a beautiful day outside and we're going by car. You won't even have to walk." Peter argued, already near the door.

"You do not have a car." replied the boy, sitting on the sofa. "And you lent mine to Isaac.”

"First: you don't have a car anymore. Five year olds don't need cars. So, until further notice, the car stays with Isaac. Second: I borrowed Stiles' car." Said Peter, showing the keys.

"But there are people out there," he complained, crossing his arms "and I don't like people."

"And there are a lot of candies, sweets and chocolates too. And I really need something to ruin my teeth, puppy” he confessed, in a low voice, “so ignore the people and focus on the good things in life.”

"But I don't want candy, I want broccoli." He grunted.

"Whatever! Can we go now before they get back from school?” Peter asked, opening the door for Derek to pass.

"You don't want him to find out you took his car, do you?" The boy laughed when Peter did not answer and looked away. "Can I jump on the benches?” Peter shrugged.

It didn't take long to fill the cart, replacing everything they had consumed the day before and then some. Peter had more problems dragging the boy down the aisles than with shopping. Apparently, a supermarket during the week was a meeting place for married women.

He had so far met a school friend from his sister Thalia, Derek's mother, and two friends who studied with him in high school. And they were all immensely happy to find him well, with no apparent scars, single and with a small and beautiful son. Derek, who no longer wanted to be there, grunted in a low voice saying he would bite the next one who squeezed his cheeks.  
He made an excuse and managed to get rid of his old friends, saying he had promised the boy a world of candy and quickly walked away with Derek.  
The scene was quite comical, since the two werewolves were huddled, trying to go unnoticed in the corridors so as not to attract any more acquaintances.

"Finally! The sweet’s aisle." Peter said to Derek, who looked tired and frowned at the beginning of the corridor.  
When Peter realized, he looked in the same direction and saw that they had returned, and with two other friends.

"They don't get tired? Let's go. We go in, get the chocolates that are closest and sneak out. They won't even see it. Just leave the candy for another day." Peter informed his strategy "Did you understand?” He asked Derek. And when he did not answer, he looked in his direction. Derek was gone.

A horrible sensation spread through his chest. And he felt like he was paralyzed. His mind, normally so fast, could not register that the boy was gone in the blink of an eye. He started breathing hard, his hands were sweaty and his heart was racing.  
Derek was gone. And he had no idea what could have happened. Without thinking twice, he abandoned the shopping cart, running down the halls in search of his nephew.  
He entered and exited the corridors at breakneck speed.

"Derek!" He called him. "Derek!” he said, going to the other corridor and being stopped by three security guards.

"Sir, it is not allowed to run through the corridors." Said one of the security guards.

"My nephew is missing." He explained.

"We can announce it to the speaker, sir. How is he dressed?” Asked another.

"Hmm ... jeans, green T"shirt, with a symbol of a superhero. He is five years old, dark hair, light eyes and his name is Derek and my name is Peter." He described it to the security guard, who passed the information on the radio so that it could be released through the speaker.

"You can come with us now," one of the security guards tried to direct Peter, holding his arm, "and you can wait for him at the administration office."  
Peter pulled away unkindly and ran again.

After checking out a few more corridors, he spotted Derek, who was standing next to the fruit growers, looking sideways for something.  
He was relieved. Nothing had happened. He was there, no hunters or any sickos had kidnapped him.

"Derek!” He called, making the boy turn to him.  
It was only then that he saw who was kneeling in front of the boy looking to be talking. His blood ran cold. He quickened his pace to find them.

"I found you." Peter said, trying to appear calm, pulling Derek close to him. He couldn't help noticing that the boy looked scared.  
Chris stood up, closing the distance between him and Peter.

"You should not leave a child of this size alone." said Chris "Someone could have kidnapped the boy today and you wouldn't even know" completed, with a small smile.  
Peter noticed that some people had stopped to see their interaction.

"I wouldn't be surprised. After all, whenever a tragedy happens to someone in my family, an Argent is present.” Replied Peter.  
Chris could have sworn that Peter's eyes flashed bright red quickly. But it had been so fast that he was not sure. He saw the werewolf turn to go hand in hand with the child. Halfway down the hall, they stopped.

"Stay away from my son, Argent." he said in a high tone, so that Chris and everyone around him could hear. Then he went back to the abandoned shopping cart. He hadn't realized that Derek had a small smile since he called him a son.


	5. Starting over

The previous night had been a little tiring, with the two younger werewolves turning over in the only bed in the room, plagued by nightmares. So Peter was not surprised when in the middle of the night the two ended up joining him on the floor, looking for comfort. Only then did the three finally manage to rest.

He woke up early, but did not want to get up and disturb the two puppies who used him as a pillow. Despite having his whole body trapped by the other two, it was a great feeling to sleep in a puppy pile. It was warm and gave a sense of security. And, incredibly, it wasn't uncomfortable. Far from it. So, without realizing it, he was falling asleep again, curling Isaac's golden curls between his fingers.

Isaac was reluctant to open his eyes. He was extremely comfortable and that was great, after having spent most of the night dreaming about his father and the damn freezer where he was locked.

With a superhuman effort, he opened his eyes and was startled to realize that he was on the floor, his whole body wrapped around someone and that someone was apparently running his fingers through his hair. For a second, he froze.

“Go back to sleep, I bet it's an indecent time to wake up on a Saturday.” Said Peter, yawning and settling himself to sleep again and pulling him again against his shoulder. “We can go out and have breakfast later.”

He smiled, and relaxed again. It was comfortable.  
When they woke up again they decided to get up and get ready. The day was beautiful and being able to spend the day together felt great. The problem is that one of them did not share the same feeling.

“Go away.” Complained the puppy, hiding his face with the pillows. “I'm not hungry. I just want to sleep.” He closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.

“Is every puppy like that?” Asked Isaac, laughing at Derek, who occasionally opened his eyes to see if they were still there, but made no move to get up, and still pretended to snore.  
“No, only this one who was lazy even to be born.” Peter commented, taking Derek and tossing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Derek looked like a dead   
weight. “It took almost a day to be born. My poor sister.” He explained when he saw Isaac's curious expression.

“Were you there when he was born?” Asked Isaac, surprised.

“Yeap. Saw everything. I saw Laura's too. But hers I don't remember much. I was too young. ” Said, while taking the little one to the bathroom. “Do you mind taking a towel and some clothes?”

“Young? How old are you, anyway?” 

“Yeah ... I should have been about four when she was born.” He replied after thinking a little. “I remember she looked like a knee.” He laughed. “Well, bath time, puppy. I hope you don't mind the water being cold. Isaac and I ended up with hot water.” He commented, going to turn on the shower.

Isaac laughed out loud when he saw the boy stop pretending to be asleep at the same time saying "I'm awake!"  
After they were finally ready, they went down the stairs to leave. Peter already had the keys to the Camaro in his hands.

“Where do you think you're going? You are not thinking of going out without eating, are you? This is not at all healthy” Stiles scolded Peter. “And I had a hard time doing all that.” He complained, showing the table crammed with food.

Peter looked a little embarrassed.

“You really didn't have to worry. I had called the puppies out for coffee.” He said, making Stiles drop the spatula, which he was holding, tightly in the sink. “You can come too if you want.” 

“You can't do that. We made a lot of plans.” Stiles said, making Peter and Isaac raise their eyebrows. “Scott and Allison should be here any minute, so I suggest you eat soon.” He continued, dragging Peter and the other two to the table, serving them. “I'm glad I saw you when you were leaving. Lydia was going to be very upset after spending hours choosing paints and catalogs yesterday. Even Jackson is just coming to look pretty.”

Isaac had not liked the intrusion of the other youths at all. In addition to making plans and not even bothering to communicate them, they still acted as if they were part of everything. And they weren't. Derek's pack consisted of him and Peter, after Erica and Boyd left. But now, with little Derek, everyone seemed to have changed their mind.

"How can she go shopping for anything if she doesn't even know the house?" Asked Isaac.

"She knows the house. And she saw it yesterday when she took the keys from the real estate agency.” Stiles replied, surprising Peter. “She went there and said she was your decorator. She will bring the keys when she comes.” He finished, making Isaac raise his hands in exasperation.

Before they could say anything, Lydia and Jackson entered without even ringing the bell or knocking.

“All set.” Lydia said, smiling at Peter and handing him a set of keys, sitting with Jackson at the table next. They greeted everyone and she winked at Derek, who turned red.

Scott and Allison arrived next.

"Hi, everyone." Scott said. Then he pulled out a chair for Allison, who accepted and greeted everyone. “How did you guess I was hungry?” He asked his friend.

“When are you not?” Replied Stiles, pouring Scott a stack of pancakes.

“So, when do we start? We better hurry. I have to work in the afternoon.” Scott commented, before putting a whole pancake in his mouth.

“I never painted a house. But I can help by bringing snacks.” Said Allison, before nibbling on a pancake. “Although considering how good this is, it might be better to let Stiles do it.”

The teenagers agreed and ate quickly, running out towards the house across the street.

“They broke into our house, and we haven't even moved yet.” Complained Isaac. “This is invasion of territory! Won't we do anything?” He asked indignantly to Peter.

“He wants to go mark the territory, Uncle Peter.” Accused Derek. “That's disgusting.” He said, making a face. Peter smiled. “I don't want to live in a stinky place. Can't we leave them there, and keep this house here? It's done.” He suggested, making them both laugh. “Mr. Sheriff is here too. I like him.”

“It is natural that they stay close. They don't trust me, and they want to be close to the puppy.” Explained Peter, taking more toast and scrambled eggs.

“Before, they didn't have that concern. They even avoid us.” Muttered Isaac, tapping his fork harder than necessary on the plate. “And now they seem to be lining up to enter the pack.”

“First they need to learn what a pack really is.” Peter commented with his mouth full, barely making himself understood. “Like us.” Completed thoughtfully.

“What do you mean, ‘Like us’?” Asked Isaac, confused.

“We are family.” Derek explained, his mouth all smeared with chocolate syrup. Peter consented.

Isaac was a little surprised by the little boy's explanation, but it soon passed, as he realized it was the purest truth. The three of them had in a very few days connected in a way that they seemed to have spent their entire lives together.  
They were the youngest, strangest family he had ever seen, with a father too young with psychotic tendencies, a younger brother who was actually older and he and his traumas. They were totally different, but somehow they fit together and that was perfect.  
He felt good. Very well. He was part of something. He had a family.  
When they finished eating, they crossed the street.

“So that's it, when we move from here it is a new life.” Peter commented, looking at the two.

“It sounds good to me.” Said Isaac, smiling.

The two look at Derek who was looking at Stiles' house undecided.

“Are you sure we can't keep that one?” Peter shook his head. Derek looked down, upset. “What about Mr. Sheriff? Can we keep him?”

“It depends. Will you remember to give water and food? Humans are very fragile.” Asked Peter, carrying Derek on his lap when entering the house, making Isaac laugh.

They entered the house and saw Lydia and Allison testing some shades of paint on the wall.

“I liked that one for the living room. It will make everything very clear.” Peter commented pointing to the clearest, when passing with Isaac and Derek.

“That's exactly what I thought.” Lydia agreed, following them.

“So, it's not very big, but I didn't think it was too small either. This is-”

”Peter, there's a guy named Ferdinand calling you up front.” Scott interrupted, with several cans of paint balanced in his hands.

“Ah, it's the contractor you hired. I will go there to receive him for you.” said Lydia, jumping for joy.

Everyone looked at Peter with betrayed expressions, but he had no idea who that person was. He hadn't hired anyone. He hadn't even stepped on the house he bought again after the day of purchase.

“Peter, this is Ferdinand, the contractor who will do the bulk of the renovation. Ferdinand, this is Peter, the owner of the money.” She introduced them both. “My family has been working with Ferdinand for years. He is great.” Lydia explained. “If you follow me, I can show a little of what I thought for each environment.”

Everyone followed. Ferdinand was taking note of everything that needed to be done.

“In all environments, I want to replace these baseboards with larger, more modern ones. The wooden floor needs to be treated. It's full of nail marks. I thought about what you said the other day, Peter, and I think it would be great to tear down the wall that divides the kitchen from the living room, integrating the two environments.   
To delimit, we can put a bench here, with enough space for everyone.” She said, indicating all teenagers. “Two huge refrigerators here, a big gas stove and the rest of the appliances on that side and then we can cover the rest with cabinets. More store room never hurts.” Everyone seemed to agree, except Isaac, who had his arms crossed, sulking.

Peter, trying to distract the boy, ruffled his hair.

“That sounds great, my dear Lydia. Just forget about the stove. I don't like the idea of something that produces fire, teenagers and me in the same environment. Maybe an electric oven?” He suggested, going to the stairs. “Besides that, do as you please. But now I want to show them something.” Said Peter, going up the stairs with Derek and Isaac. “Could you come too, Mr. Ferdinand? We may need a specialist.”

Scott and Jackson followed without delay. Stiles gave Lydia an awkward smile and a pat on the shoulder and then went upstairs. Lydia did not seem very happy to be put in the background.

“Don't be like that. He just wants to spend time with his new children.” Allison tried to cheer her up. “And I think he was just kidding about the stove. He doesn't think we're going to set him on fire again, does he?” She seemed uncertain.

Peter took them to the entrance to the rooms on the second floor. On one side, facing the street, was one of the bedrooms and the bathroom. On the other side were the other two rooms.

“When I saw these two rooms, I thought about tearing down the wall that divides them and making a huge room. It would be possible to increase the closet area, making it big enough for the three, that could organize everything, and put two huge beds, king or queen size and make everything look like a hotel. Without much furniture. Maybe just a few dressers or something. What do you think?” He asked the boys, who approved the idea.

“We can turn the one in the front into an office. That way we will have a quiet place to study or research something.” Isaac suggested.

“But can you get that wall out? Isn't a support wall?” Peter asked the contractor.

“Yes, sure. We will also have no problems in enlarging the closet as you commented.” Said the contractor, after taking a look at everything.

Lydia went up with Allison and commented that she was thinking about changing all the tiles in the house. They could follow the same theme as the bedroom and make the bathrooms look like a hotel. Peter loved the idea. Isaac said he would be glad the bathroom wasn't pink.

“We've covered the floor below and this one. Now the white fence is missing.” He commented, smiling. “What?” He asked when he realized that everyone was looking at him, and shrugged. “Then you can start by knocking down the bedroom wall and then the kitchen wall. So we can start to paint.” Said Peter, returning to the room.

“And with the basement? Don't you intend to do anything with it?” Asked the contractor. Isaac stumbled upon hearing the question, which did not go unnoticed by Peter.

He looked at the others who seemed strangely amused by the walls, the floor and the windows. Only Jackson who looked at Isaac with a sad expression.

“Give me just a second?” Peter said, passing Derek to Stiles and pulling Isaac aside.

“So, what did you think so far?” Asked Lydia, trying to distract the contractor.

He took the boy to another environment, away from the eyes, but not from the ears of the wolves.

“What was that?” Peter asked, looking at Isaac, who avoided looking at him “Don't you want to tell me?” Isaac shook his head. He was shaking. “Can you show me then? Just put your claws here” he put Isaac's right hand on the back of his neck, digging his claws around his neck “and focus on the memory you want me to see.” He explained in a soft voice to the frightened puppy in front of him.

Within seconds, his mind was flooded with painful memories of a small boy being forced to clean a kitchen with a tiny brush. Taking a beating because a teacher didn't give him a high score, and simply because he wasn't the perfect brother who had died. Then, a teenager being tortured with cruelties and locked up in a freezer for two days. When Isaac finally took his claws out, Peter was taking a deep breath trying to calm himself.  
Without thinking, he brought the puppy close and hugged him. Isaac was shaking violently, but seemed to calm down when Peter hugged him, and although he was much taller than Peter (about twenty centimeters), he didn't feel embarrassed. He felt safe, and without realizing it, his face was hidden in his neck, sobbing. He hadn't even realized it when he started crying.  
Some time later, Peter returned to the living room with Isaac, who had red eyes and was keeping a distance from the others. Derek got off Stiles' lap and went to sit beside him on the stairs, resting his head on his arm.

“Where were we? In the basement, isn't it? You can close everything. Put a plaster wall so it doesn't even look like there's a door there.” He gave his verdict.

“But what if you need to fix some plumbing or electrical?”

“Just break the wall again.” Replied Peter. “Look, I have a small kid. I don't want a place where he can fall and get hurt. He can roll that ladder, break an arm or something worse. Why don't you check all these hydraulic and electrical parts before closing? If you need to change something, change it. But then, seal everything.” the contractor seemed to agree.

“I think that's all, then. I'll tell the boys to get started right away.” said the contractor.

“Actually, I would like to hire you for another reform after this one.” Peter said, following him. “Isaac, I'm going outside for a bit. Can you take a look at Lydia?”

“Why?” He asked without understanding.

“Just to make sure she doesn't transform here into a Barbie's dream house.” Isaac gave a wicked smile and said "Okay".

When Peter finally came back, Derek was lying on the floor, with his head in Stiles' lap, getting this hair played and almost sleeping despite the noise that Lydia and Isaac were making. The two were apparently in a heated discussion about furniture.

“What about these?” She showed the flyer. “These white furniture are beautiful.” argued Lydia.

“No.” Isaac was categorical. “It’s too bright.”

“But the environment will be lighter.” replied the girl.

“And I'll be blind when I turn on the light.” said Isaac.

“And why do you have to decide, Lahey?” Jackson asked with a frown.

“For two reasons, Jackson. The first is because Peter asked. The second is because I am going to live here. And soon the surname is going to be Hale. Why don't you go training?” Suggested Isaac, taking the flyers and looking around.

“As much as I love to see you fight, can we start painting at least the office?” Scott pleaded.

Lydia nodded, and returned to her discussion with Isaac.

“I can not leave the children alone for five minutes that you already start to fight. That way I will put you grounded in the corner of the room.” Peter commented, not at all bothered by the noise they made, taking some flyers to see.

Without delay, Lydia started showing the flyers to Peter, who in the end agreed with Isaac.

“No, Lydia. We’ll go with simple furniture with simple design. No light colors. And I want a giant black leather sofa over there, ” he said, pointing to a wall in the room, “but nothing hard. I want an extremely comfortable one. Of those who embrace you when you sit down?” he gestured excitedly as he spoke. Isaac seemed to love the idea. “This more classic line, you can use when decorating the Hale Mansion. It will be great there.” He tried to calm the mood.

Which worked perfectly. For he barely spoke and Lydia's eyes shone with pleasure.

“Are you going to rebuild there? And will I be able to decorate?” Asked the girl, smiling, hugging a booklet.

“Yes, but only after we're done here.” Peter replied. “So I want this one with everything the boys want.”

Isaac gave Jackson a winning smile and said he was going to help Scott and Allison upstairs.

Lydia wrote down which furniture fit Peter's description. While she, Jackson and Peter were measuring the rooms to see what furniture would fit, the contractor's team started work on the top floor.

“What kind of bed do you want in the bedrooms? And how many?” Asked Lydia with her clipboard and pen in hand.

“Two box beds is great, the largest size that fits.” He answered promptly “And very large dressers. And complete bedding with everything, bottom sheet, top sheet, pillow holder, bedspread, blanket, etc. Preferably in a color that is not depressing. And lots of pillows.” He completed thoughtfully.

“Are you sure you don't want chocolate on the pillow too?” Stiles commented, playing with Derek's hair.

"If it's not too much to ask," he added, looking at Lydia with an expression so innocent, she couldn't deny it. She wrinkled his nose, but added chocolate to the huge list.

“But only two beds? And where are you going to sleep?” Jackson thought aloud.

"With them, of course," he replied, flipping through one of the flyers again.

When he realized that Lydia and Jackson were looking at him strangely, he decided to explain.

“Puppies hardly sleep alone. They end up looking for safety in numbers and comfort. So I suggested joining the two rooms.” He explained. “You all have such dirty minds. And they say I am sick one.” He grunted.

“Is that why they went to sleep with you on the floor yesterday? When I passed by, you were sleeping in a pile.” Stiles said, curious.

“Exactly.” Peter said.

“What were you spying on in their room, you pervert?” Jackson asked, disgusted.

“I couldn't sleep, so I walked around the house until sleep came.” Stiles defended himself.

“If you have so much trouble sleeping, next time you should consider joining the pile.” Peter commented, turning his attention to the flyers. Stiles seemed to consider the idea. “Are we done here, Lydia? I need to go do some things.”

“Won't you stay to help?” Asked Stiles indignantly.

"I need to buy a car and some safety items for him," he said, pointing to Derek, who was still sleeping on Stiles' lap, "And get a lawyer and get all the adoption paperwork done."

Jackson suggested that he go along, so they could come by and talk to his father, who is a lawyer. He wasn't in the office, but he would definitely be at home and would talk to Peter if Jackson asked.

“Would you do ask him? That would be great! And you can still help me choose a car.” Peter was smiling as he placed his hand on Jackson's shoulder. "Are you going to need anything else, Lydia?" he checked.

“I think we covered all the furniture.” She replied, checking the list. “Can you guys give me a ride and drop me off at the mall so I can start toasting your money?” She asked.

Peter replied that there was no problem for him. Jackson suggested they go with his car, so the others would not be on foot if they needed to pick up something on the street.  
When Peter started to pick up Derek, Stiles said it would be dangerous for him to take the boy in a Porsche without even a booster seat. He then suggested that he and Derek return to his home, where he could watch the boy until they returned. Peter agreed and called Isaac, who promised to keep an eye out for Stiles not to flee the country and sell the boy on the black market.

“Are you going to see the electronics today too?” Asked Isaac, a little awkwardly, his face smeared with paint.

“I'll probably take a look.” Lydia conceded, with narrowed eyes.

“Could we buy some video games?” He asked hopefully.

“But of course.” Peter replied. Lydia added to the list. She asked which console. "Surprise me," he replied. She wrote down "All of them".

They left Lydia at the furniture store and then went to the dealership to choose the car. Peter bought a silver Tahoe from Chevrolet. They also stopped by Wal-Mart, bought a booster seat and then headed to Jackson's house.  
When they got home, Jackson introduced the werewolf to his father. And Peter started to explain the situation. Jackson was surprised at how easily Peter was able to come up with lame excuses and present them in a way that seemed true.  
He justified Derek's appearance by saying that he was his nephew, the son of one of his irresponsible brothers who left his pregnant girlfriend, and that as she couldn't take care of him anymore and heard that he had finally left the clinic and was fine, he decided to leave the child with him, with only the clothes on his back, without even leaving a document or anything.  
And he, as a good citizen, had sought out the sheriff, who is his friend and who happened to be hosting him, since he is renovating his house where he would live with Isaac, the boy he would adopt and who is a friend of Jackson and who was living with his other nephew who was traveling. So, he wanted to resolve all of this legally and adopt both, since apparently neither of them had anyone for them.

“Are you sure the boy is your relative?” Asked David Whittemore, Jackson's father.

"Absolutely, he looks like my nephew Derek" Peter replied, making Jackson laugh.

“Your other nephew is called Derek too?” The lawyer asked in surprise. Peter smiled and shrugged. “On Monday, I'll be done with all the paperwork, Mr. Hale. You had better run with the renovation of the house, because soon a social worker must visit you and check that everything is in order.”

Peter thanked him and said goodbye. Jackson waited for Peter to step aside and gave his father a hug, thanking him for his help. David smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hummm... Peter wasn't kidding when he talked about the gas stove.


	6. He is my son

The days went by with everyone helping as much as possible. Derek, throughout the process, always stayed with Stiles and ended up getting quite attached.  
The contractors finished breaking down the wall between the bedrooms and the partition between the kitchen and the living room in record time. One of the bathrooms already boasted its new tiles, and the fitters were currently installing new kitchen cabinets.  
The interior painting part of the house was almost done thanks to Peter who, after the first day, finally stopped commanding everyone and got his hands dirty and managed to get a good head start.  
On the day of the move, the teenagers and Melissa got up early and went to the house to help.  
When the furniture arrived, Lydia did not hesitate to command them, indicating where everything was, since Peter was in the office turning on his computer equipment.

“I think you'll need to buy clothes soon, Peter. Isaac has practically nothing.“ commented Melissa, from the other room where she was organizing the closet, knowing that Peter would certainly hear her.

“I'm starting to hate shopping.” Peter replied from the office, in a high tone. “Is the situation that bad?” He asked, turning on his printer.

“It's the most spartan closet I've ever seen.” Melissa laughed.

Scott and Isaac were installing the television and the stereo trying not to be hit by the furniture in the room.

“Do you really have to do that now?” Complained Allison, taking the protective plastic off the sofa. Scott and Isaac stopped what they were looking at. “So much more important things to put in place.” She said when picking up the vacuum.

“Entertainment is important.” Isaac replied, looking at her as if she were crazy.

Lydia thanked the fitters when they finished setting up the kitchen cabinets and countertops, installing the appliances and escorted them to the door. Now all that was needed was the renovation of one of the bathrooms to finish the internal renovation. External painting should start the next day.

“Sometimes I am surprised at how good I am.” Lydia commented smugly when she saw the kitchen ready. “Doesn’t it look beautiful?” the others had to agree. The kitchen looked like it was out of a decorating magazine.

“And I need your help to organize everything here.” She smiled, pulling Jackson, who until then was leaning against the wall, enjoying the changes and making comments about others works.

Shortly after, Stiles arrived with Derek from the supermarket, carrying lots of bags full of groceries and cleaning products.

"Wow, what a difference," he said, dropping the bags on the floor and clapping his hands, "it doesn't even look like Mrs. Willis's house that smelled of cats."

Derek ran, sniffing the house, looking for Peter. When he found him, he jumped on his neck. But the adult was quicker, catching him in the air and tickling him.  
The boy's laughter flooded the house. And it was not long before he ran away when Peter was distracted. He ran down the stairs, skipping a few steps and ran to the newly arrived sofa, where he started jumping backwards.

“Wow, thanks for stuffing the puppy with candy. I didn't even want to sleep today.” Commented Isaac, watching the puppy that was electric in his sugar high. He was  
jumping like crazy. Stiles pretended it wasn't his fault and started to take the groceries out of the bags, placing them on the counter.

“You can't catch me.” Derek said to Peter, still jumping on the couch, provoking him to come down and continue playing.

"You'll end up slipping off-" Peter said from above, but was interrupted by the sound of Derek falling on the glass table.

“What was that noise?” Melissa shouted from above.

Everyone was surprised by the accident. Allison was the first to recover, and tried to help. She went to the corner of the room and removed Derek from the remains of the glass table, as they all seemed frozen in place. The puppy started to cry when he saw the amount of blood. She even took out a few small sticks for him to start regenerating, but changed her mind, seeing that the boy was avoiding her touches.

“I just wanted to help.” Allison said, embarrassed.

Melissa ran down the stairs when she heard the noise and went to the boy who was looking at his wounds, making a face as he took out some big pieces. When he was going to take a huge one off his thigh, she asked him not to, which he promptly ignored. He tugged on the shard with gusto, tearing some of the flesh off it, causing blood to splash on the wall across the room, consequently giving a bloodbath to Allison and Stiles who were in that direction. The shard had hit an artery.

“My God!” Exclaimed Melissa, running to the boy, trying to stop the cut. But a few seconds later that was no longer needed, the cut was healed.

When Peter arrived in the living room, he looked at the damage the little one had done.

“Great, the room looks like a scene from The Walking Dead now.” Peter commented, rubbing his face. “At least you're whole. I can't talk about the table in the corner. What did you have against it? It was cute.” He grunted.

“I'm sorry for the table and the mess.” Derek said, looking at the floor in a low voice.

“Lying is ugly and something very stupid to do to a werewolf” he said, looking angry “, but as with everything in life, we take a lesson, let's analyze what we can learn from it. Your lesson, in this case, is that you shouldn't make a mess in front of witnesses who can claim it was all your fault. Because now you will not be able to blame anyone and you will have to clean it up yourself.” Peter taught, horrifying the others.

The bell rang. Peter ran to answer it. He was convinced it was John. After all, the sheriff was due to come as soon as he left the service. So it was natural to be surprised when he opened the door and not saw his newest friend, but the hunter Chris Argent.  
He froze when the hunter pushed something neatly wrapped in his hands.

“It's just a welcome gift.” He said with a false smile when he saw the confused expression of the werewolf, then entered the house as if he was welcome.

Peter quickly recovered by being outraged by the individual's audacity to enter his home without permission.

“You didn't have to worry. I will treat it with the utmost care.” Peter stated with a false smile, while going to the kitchen and throwing the package in the trash, without the least ceremony.

Chris didn't seem the least bit shaken by the not-so-veiled hostility.

"Have you decided to move to town, Hale? Tired of playing with fire?” He asked, making Peter growl. “Well, I just came to fulfill my role as a good neighbor and welcome you.” He justified. “And take the opportunity to check that you didn't kill anyone.” Said in a lower tone, but loud enough for the werewolves present. “Looks like I got there just in time.” He commented, seeing the blood on the walls and the state of Derek.

Allison tried to explain by saying that it was an accident, when Chris approached Derek to examine him. Peter's claws were visible with the scene, but he managed to resist the provocation and controlled himself.

“Who do you think you are to enter our home without being invited?” Asked Isaac between teeth, with yellow eyes.

“A zealous father checking on his children.” Chris replied, with a friendly smile on his face. Peter's eyes flashed bright red for a second or two.

He went to the door, opening it.

“Out. You are not welcome here.” Peter ordered, holding the door for Chris.

His claws scratched the door when he saw the smug smile on the hunter's face.

“Allison,” called the daughter, who was extremely embarrassed by her father's attitude “say goodbye to your brother and let's go home.”

She looked in horror at the boy, who turned away from her and Chris.

As soon as the two left, Peter slammed the door so hard he cracked the glass in the living room window. His fury was palpable. He shivered and opened and closed his hands, taking a deep breath. None of those present had even had the courage to approach until he calmed down.  
He then turned to Derek, who was wide-eyed looking at the door and his mouth open.

“You know what? Why don't you take a shower and let me clean this mess up here?” Suggested Peter to the boy. Derek was totally distracted by the bombastic revelation when the opportunity arose to get rid of the cleaning.

“In the bathtub?” Peter smiled, nodding.

“Do you mind helping him?” Peter asked Isaac. “I haven't organized the bathroom yet.’

"No problem," said Isaac, lifting Derek, placing him on his shoulders.

As soon as the two left, Scott stuck to his side.

“What the hell was that ?!” Scott asked indignantly. “Allison's father practically stated that he is Derek's father and you didn't do anything.” He accused him.

Peter ignored Scott and calmly went to get a cardboard box and started to collect the broken glass on the floor. The others, seeing his actions, began to help him clean up the mess.

“Because it was true, Scott.” Stiles commented, eyes wide. “Your sister dated a hunter and everyone accepted it?” He asked, surprised, to Peter.

"Nobody knew, except me," said Peter, "and I didn't know he was a hunter. To me, he was just the annoying guy who stole my sister sometimes and that I loved kicking the shin when she wasn't looking.” He explained, in a bad mood.

“You kicked his shin ?! How old were you? Five?” Scott teased.

“Three.” Said Peter, taking the cardboard box with the shards and closing it.

Melissa, with an angry expression, approached Peter and gave him a slap on the head.

“And you didn't think it was important to comment on that before?” She asked, clearly altered.

"I didn't think it was that important. What does it matter who his biological father is? My sister didn't care. So why should I?” Replied Peter, trying to dodge the slaps coming towards him.

“I'm not talking about that, you brat!” She spoke, shocking those present. “I'm talking about your age! Didn't you think it was important to let me know that when we went out I was actually going out with someone who is almost old enough to be my son ?! Didn't you think you should have also told us that you are not old enough to have two children that age?” She was exasperated. The teenagers present were torn between hiding their laughter and breaking the fight.  
Peter, hearing the last question, frowned and walked away.

“I didn't think my age was that important. And honestly, I'm a little offended that you thought I look older.” He commented, opening the refrigerator and taking a bottle of water.

“I think it's all those black and manic expressions.” Stiles said, unable to contain himself. When everyone looked in his direction, he was embarrassed.

“And I'm old enough to have children that age. If mine hadn't died, he would have been fifteen,” he said, taking a sip, “and talking to you about my age. Well, I really hadn't planned on asking you out. The initial idea was to kidnap you and force Scott to help me with my evil revenge. Things just kind of got out of hand.” He spoke without really thinking.

“Stop digging your grave, you moron.” Jackson commented, in a low tone audible only to werewolves, making Scott laugh. He saw his mother's angry expression. It was too late now. Peter was finished.

“The idea was to kidnap me ?!” Melissa shouted, pulling Peter by the collar of his shirt, causing him to drop the bottle on the floor. Stiles and Jackson ran to separate the two. Lydia seemed too shocked by Peter's absurd sincerity.

“It was until I went to the hospital and talked to you.” He answered seriously. “You were fun, smart, hardworking and beautiful.” He confessed, calming Melissa.

The teenagers seeing that Scott's mother no longer seemed to want to destroy the werewolf walked away.  
And both they and Peter were surprised when, without the slightest warning, Melissa grabbed Peter's collar, pulling him close, gluing her lips to his.

“Mom!” Complained Scott, drawing attention and bringing her back to Earth.

She turned away from Peter, her cheeks pink.

"Why didn't you call me back after that horrible date?" She asked, clearing her throat and cleaning the room again. She looked embarrassed. The teenagers followed suit.

"I died," he replied, making her laugh at the absurdity of the statement, "but we can go out any day for coffee or something." He suggested. Melissa immediately agreed, smiling. Scott growled when he heard it.

The atmosphere became tense. To ease the tension, Lydia decided to change the subject entirely.

“I think I'll look for a corner table made only of wood to avoid future accidents. What do you think, Peter?”

“You are in charge, my dear Lydia.” He replied with a wide smile.

Lydia and the others couldn't help but notice that he looked younger when he smiled.  
When they finished packing and cleaning everything, John finally arrived from work.

“Wow! It looks awesome here. Do you accept one more resident? I can sleep on the couch.” The sheriff joked.

“My house is your house.” Peter replied, laughing.

“No way. For him, you would eat delivery every single day.” Stiles said pointing to Peter, who seemed offended, before going to sit with the other young people in the room. He sat next to Derek who shared his popcorn jar with him.

"It's not my fault if I can't cook" said Peter, sitting on the counter.

“You don't even know how to fry an egg?” Melissa asked.

“Even I know how to fry an egg,” said John, earning an evil look from his son, “not that I do, because I can't eat fried eggs.”

“I never needed it. There was always a crowd at home. A lot of brothers and sisters, brothers-in-law and older sisters-in-law who loved to drool me. So I never got close to the kitchen.” He explained, shrugging.

“And what did you do?” Asked John, curious. Peter laughed.

“I kept playing with my nephews,” he replied, with a smile “and teaching a lot of wrong things to irritate their parents.” He laughed.

“It doesn't seem very smart to piss off a lot of werewolves. I mean, Isaac over there” he pointed to the boy playing video games “seemed beside himself when Stiles showed up with the puppy at home. And if it weren't for Scott, I don't think I would have much of a son to tell the story. And it was just one, from what you said your house was very full.”

“Two sisters and four brothers. Plus my brother-in-law and my sisters-in-law” said Peter “but only Martin was a little strict, so I just took some precautions.”

“Yeah, he only did something when Mom was around.” Derek denounced him, laughing. “Thalia! Thalia! Martin is being mean again! ” The boy imitated him, in a thin voice, making the teenagers laugh. Peter's face was all red.

“You know, seeing you now I understand my brother.” Peter commented seriously. “I feel this eagerness to wipe that sneer from your face. And just think: if that were a few months ago, you could all be dead now.”

Everyone looked at him with fear and apprehension.

“You should see your faces. “ Peter laughed and almost fell from his chair.

“Seeing you now, I also understand your brother Martin, you prick.” Complained John. “I'm too old for things like that.” He grunted.

“Well, so good that you arrived later and missed all the drama of the soap opera that is the Hale family.” Melissa commented, in a gossip tone, leaning on the counter towards John.

“It's not a soap opera plot!” Denied Peter.

But then he thought: his sister had had an affair with a guy who never took on the romance with her, and left her with three children. Then the guy left town and married another hunter and had a daughter. His sister, Derek's aunt, seduced the boy even though she knew he was a relative and made his life hell, killing even the rest of the family and leaving Peter in a coma for years. He, in turn, when he woke up mad, killed his own niece, who was practically like a sister, and avenged his family, killing their pedophile aunt. Then he was killed by his nephew, who had now been transformed into a child again and for whom he was responsible after returning to life. Now the irresponsible father, who never even acknowledged the boy, decided to come back and take what he thought was his rightful place.

"Maybe it's a soap opera plot," said Peter thoughtfully, "but what does that make me? The good guy? I don't want to be the good guy. Good guys are always such fucking losers until the end.”

“Watch your language.” Melissa caught his attention. “Do you swear in front of them all the time?”

“Of course not.” He denied, with the most innocent face in the world.

“He's lying, mom.” Scott commented with a wicked smile on his face.

Melissa slapped Peter on the head, who flinched.

Then she started to tell about Chris's unexpected visit, and the discussion that followed afterwards.

“This Argent is an asshole!” snapped John. “What do you intend to do? Will you take action?”

"No," said Peter, surprising them both. “I don't see why. He’s no threat. And even if he was, we're safe here.” He explained, seeing the surprised expression of the two.

“He can ask for DNA and prove that the son is his.” John commented.

“And will you claim that who is the mother? His sister murdered my almost entire family more than six years ago. Derek only has five. Or he can speak the truth. I would like to see him claim that this is his twenty-two-year-old son who was attacked by a vengeful fairy and became a child again.” Argued Peter. “He wants attention. And I refuse to give it. So everything will continue exactly as it is.”

“But it never hurts to call your lawyer and ask to run their paperwork faster so as not to take any chances.” Melissa commented pointing to Derek and Isaac. Peter nodded in agreement.

“This Argent and his family are not worth the food they eat.” Grunted John. “Is there beer in this fridge?” He asked as he went to rummage through his neighbor's refrigerator.

At the end of the night, everyone left. And as Peter predicted the second bed was only used in the early evening. Then Isaac and Derek went to his bed, where they all slept in a big pile. Neither of them seemed to have nightmares that night.  
As soon as he woke up the next day, Peter prepared a quick breakfast for the puppies and went to his office to look for a company specializing in alarms and security items. He ended up hiring not only alarms, but also security cameras. He didn't think they would suffer an attack, but it was good to be prepared.

“I'm going now, Peter.” Isaac said goodbye from the floor below. “Bye, Derek.” Said, smelling the neck of the boy who had his mouth full.

“See you later.” Peter replied.

Taking some toast in one hand, Isaac stuck one in his mouth as he passed the door.  
Derek, who was slowly eating his coffee, bowed his head when he heard the noise of mailboxes down the street. He smiled as he got out of the chair, pulling off his clothes and changing.

“Derek?” Peter called, going to the kitchen and not seeing the puppy. That was when he looked down and saw the child's clothes lying on the floor.

“Lost track of time? Asked Stiles, seeing that Isaac still seemed to be eating his breakfast.

Isaac smiled and consented.

“It was kind of hard to get out of bed.” He confirmed, giving Stiles a toast, which he accepted. “Do you want to drive today?” He asked, handing the Camaro keys to the other who started jumping happily.

“Bye, dad.” Stiles shouted, across the street, waving to the father who was at the door picking up his newspaper and waiting for the correspondence. John waved back.

Stiles, all excited, wasted no time in starting the car. When he saw that Derek had turned into a puppy and was playing with the postman, he almost ran over him. And he just didn't do it because Peter had come down and ran to pick the puppy up before he could even brake.  
John saw that after the two teenagers left in the car, Derek managed to jump off Peter's lap. He clearly saw that the puppy was just playing, but the postman didn't know, and he was scared and yelled at Peter to get his wild dog. And he was trying, but the puppy looked like it was made of soap. And every time he caught it, the puppy escaped.

“Don't stay there laughing, John.” Complained Peter on the other side. “Why don't you help me get the puppy before he eats the postman?” Suggested Peter.

It was only then that John realized he was laughing.


	7. Two dads?

It was almost 1:00PM when the doorbell rang. Peter had just finished tidying up the kitchen and Derek was playing on the computer upstairs.  
Peter wiped his hands on his sweatpants and ran to answer the door. And he was surprised when he saw that it was an elderly woman who lived at the end of the street.

“Do you always answer the door in your pajamas? Or are you in pajamas all day?” Asked the lady, holding a clipboard. “Do you work, mr -” she seemed to look for your name among the papers “Peter Hale?” She fixed her glasses, and entered the house, looking at everything.

The lady was probably the social worker, and apparently she would not make things any easier. He guessed that she was a bitch and he had to restrain himself from chasing her away. He couldn't be angry and had to turn the tables and make a good impression.

“You can’t enter other people's homes without permission. Much less without introducing yourself” he said indignantly. “I'm not wearing pajamas. Just comfortable clothes because I was cleaning the house.”

She looks around and notices that the house is really clean.

“My name is Clarice Jones, and I am the social worker assigned to your adoption request.” She introduced herself, stretching her hand to greet him.

“Pleasure. I’m Peter Hale.” He replied, shaking her hand. “What can I help you with?”

“You could answer my questions.” She said.

He had to stop and remember exactly what the questions were.

“I don't answer the door in my pajamas. I don't wear pajamas all day. And I'm not working at the moment.” He replied, making her raise her eyebrow.

“And why not, Mr. Hale?”

“I don’t need to.” He said, running his hands through his hair, uncomfortable. “After the fire, I inherited the possessions of almost all my brothers, except those I already had” He explained when he saw the lady's disbelieving expression “, and I only intend to set up a clinic when Derek is older” He commented nonchalantly.   
“Would you like to drink something?” He asked and went to the refrigerator.

“Clinic?” She asked, interested. “Would you have any soda?”

“I'm a psychologist.” He clarified. “We don't drink soda.” He said holding the door and looking at the fridge full of coke out of her sight. “Could it be tea? It also has lemonade or water.”

She smiled approving her answer, writing something down on the paper.

“I accept lemonade. What about alcohol, Mr. Hale?” She asked.

“I don't drink or have it at home.” He replied, pouring two glasses of lemonade. “I’m going to owe you that. But if you tell me when the next visit is coming, I can arrange something. What do you drink, anyway?” He gave her a glass of lemonade, making her embarrassed.

She shifted on the couch. She decided to resume the interview and asked a series of questions.

“Your full name?”

“Peter Hale.”

“Age?”

“Thirty-two.”

“You're very young.” She commented. “Marital status?”

“Single.”

“Here it says that you were once married.”

“Not legally.”

“Divorced?”

“He died in an accident.”

“In the fire?”

“No, in a car accident six years earlier.”

“Ow.” She looked embarrassed again. “Dating?”

“Not yet.”

“Could you explain?”

“At the moment we are just friends, and it is quite obvious that there is a mutual interest.” He spoke, remembering the kiss she gave him. Without realizing it, he was smiling. “And although we see each other almost every day, I don't think you can label it dating yet.”

“A pity. You and the sheriff make a beautiful couple.” She said, writing something down, making his eyes widen.

“I wasn't talking about the sheriff.” He said, with a frown.

“No?” She rummaged through the papers looking for something. “Well, here it says that you were previously married to a Mr. Mark Riddle, and that before buying this house, you stayed with the sheriff for a while.” She said showing the paper to Peter. “I live at the end of the street, and I've seen you two in the morning chasing a dog together. And I know that he always comes here.”

“I stayed there for a few days. We needed a place to stay because they were renovating here, and he had a guest room. And he usually helps me get my ... dog, because he has the horrible habit of chasing the postman every single day. He's just a friend.”

“You already said that.”

“No, he's just a friend, and he'll always be just a friend.” He was a little irritated. “I was referring to Melissa, who lives here on the back street and works at the hospital.”

“I'm sorry for the confusion.” She said, not looking the least bit sorry. “Do you think you have enough experience to educate and care for a child and a teenager?”

“Yes. My area of specialization is precisely children and adolescents. And I always helped to take care of my nephews.”

“But it says here that you had a son who died at the age of two.” She said, looking at the papers. “I believe his name was Charles?”

“He was in the car with Mark during the accident.” He spoke in a low voice, looking down. “Would you like to see the rest of the house and meet Derek?” He cut off the incessant questions. “He's up there, playing. Isaac doesn't arrive until later.”

She smiled, embarrassed, and followed him. He showed the modern, well-equipped kitchen and the bathroom downstairs, whose tiles had been applied that morning. They went up the stairs, and he showed the room where they slept, which he claimed was only for the children. The top bathroom, brand new and without any risk for a child, unlike the bottom one that was under renovation. Finally, he showed the office, which he presented as his room. And he thanked God for listening to Lydia and placing a spare bed there.

“Derek, this is Mrs. Clarice Jones, and she is the social worker who came to visit us.” He introduced them both.

Derek stopped fiddling with the computer and turned to the lady standing next to Peter.

“I don’t like you.” Said the boy, glaring at the old woman. He had heard every unpleasant thing she asked her uncle and did not like it one bit. When he saw his uncle rolling his eyes, the boy approached the lady with a sad expression. “I shouldn't have said that, it was very rude.” Said, lowering his head, and fighting not to smile. “Uncle Peter always says that we should always be polite to everyone, even if the person does not deserve it. So I'm sorry for being rude.” He completed thoughtfully. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Jones. My name is Derek.” He introduced himself with a captivating smile. “Did I do it right, Uncle Peter?” He asked, looking at his uncle, blinking innocently.

Peter smiled and nodded.

“He looks like he's pretty smart for his age. How is he doing in his studies?”

“Well. I'm currently teaching him at home. But I'm seriously thinking about putting him in a school. I think it would be good for him to have relationships with children his age.” He commented, making her smile in agreement.

“Well, I think I ended up here, Mr. Hale.” She smiled. “I'll keep an eye out.”

He led her to the door.

“What a Bitch.” He grunted as he took the phone out of the base.

Without delay he dialed the number he knew in his head already.

“Hello?” A female voice answered quickly.

“Mel? It's Peter. I need help.” And he told everything that happened during the visit.

After the phone, the two got ready and left.

“I don't think we should come here. It can be dangerous.” Commented the boy, who walked in the street with his arms crossed on his chest.

“Don’t be silly. It is a children's school. There are only mothers and lots of children in the front.” Peter said, indicating the group that was a few meters away from them.

“They look hungry.” Commented the boy about the way women looked at his uncle.

Peter looked at him for a second and then continued walking.

“Excuse me, do you know who I can talk to about enrolling my son?” He asked the mothers waiting for their children at the school door.

For a second they seemed too shocked to speak. When Derek went to his uncle and asked to be carried, they seemed to wake up and started talking at the same time. They tried to talk to the little one who was hiding his face in his uncle's neck, and in the end they insisted on taking them both to the school office.  
There, Peter explained his and Derek's situation and managed to enroll the boy. Derek would start the next day. They left with a short material list, which made Derek even more in a bad mood, as that meant more shopping.  
Later, Scott and the rest of the troupe went to Peter's house, along with Isaac, with the intention to study. Intention was the key word, since the only thing they did was mess.

“What are you doing?” Asked Isaac, seeing Peter trying to assemble a lunch box on the kitchen counter while Derek was taking out the things he put there.

“Trying to prepare this little puppy's lunchbox so he can take it to class tomorrow.” Peter replied snorting. “Do you want to return the cookie, please?” He asked the boy who did not think twice about throwing the cookie through the window.

Isaac was horrified by the boy's lack of education and was about to scold him when he saw Peter take a deep breath and turn around looking for something in the closet.  
With absurd patience and calm, he brought another cookie exactly like the one Derek had thrown and deposited it in the lunch box.

“And just so you know, I have more than thirty of them in the closet. And if I need to, I’ll go out and buy more.” He said and gave a little sarcastic smile to the boy, who snarled.

“It doesn't matter, because I'm not going to use that stupid lunchbox.” Replied the boy, scowling at his uncle.

“It's not a stupid lunchbox.” Jackson tried to cheer him up. “It's the Angry birds’ lunch box ... whatever that is.” He said after reading the name that was written.  
“ ‘Whatever that is’ ?! It's Angry Birds! Angry Birds is awesome! How can you not know Angry Birds? In what world do you live in?” Asked Stiles at once and without breathing.

“In the world where normal people use their free time to train and study, nerd. That's why I'm good and you suck.” Jackson explained, making Isaac laugh.

“I don't even like Angry Birds.” Derek complained. “Is silly.”

"You spent all morning playing this," said Peter, closing the lunch box, "and you chose the lunch box."

“Yeah, but it was you who bought it. So it's going to be your fault if I get beat up at school tomorrow when I show up with a stupid lunchbox.” Replied the boy. “And why do I have to go to school? I don't want to go to any school. I want to be with you.” he said, pouting.

That's when they noticed that the drama the boy was doing worked perfectly on Peter. Even Stiles could see that he was no longer so sure.

“It will be nice to meet new people, kid. Make new friends and play a lot.” Stiles commented, nudging the boy in the arm.

“I already have a friend.” The boy said. “We play every morning.”

“The postman is not your friend. It's just the poor guy that you terrify every day.” Isaac commented while taking the cookie from the lunch box and eating. Peter scowled at him. “Hey, I'm hungry and you said you had thirty more of these.”

Peter rolled his eyes and went to get another one.

“You want me to go to school just because you liked that bunch of mothers on top of you.” Accused Derek, making faces. “ ‘Are you his father? You are so young! ‘, ’What a cute thing you two are together! ‘, ‘ I wish my husband was like you ‘, ’Are you single? ‘, ‘ Do you want to go out on Friday night? My mother can look at our children’, ‘ Or we can make new children ‘.” Derek imitated them in an irritatingly thin voice, making the teenagers laugh.

“Now I’m offended. I am not the only person whose mother is harassed by the evil werewolf.” Scott pretended to dry the corners of his eyes.

”I didn't harass anyone.” Denied Peter, handing a cookie to each of the boys and to Derek. "Now your mother -" He laughed when he saw Scott roll his eyes.

“But then, were they hot at least?” Jackson asked, biting the cookie. “How could you throw that out the window, heretic? It's delicious.” He scolded the little one.

“I don't know, I didn't pay attention.” Peter said, drawing the attention of the teens. “What?” He asked when he saw that everyone was looking at him.

“How can you not have paid attention?” Isaac was surprised. “I would have noticed if a lot of women threw themselves at me.” He thought.

“Why should I?” Asked Peter, confused. “For God’s sake. Spit it out, Scott. You seem slower than you already are. Someone may think you are special.” He spoke when he saw Scott's thoughtful expression.

“You noticed my mom.” Scott said grudgingly.

“That's a good thing, then. I noticed her and ignored all the others. You should be happy.” Peter commented, he didn't understand why the boy's looked so unhappy.

“That means you think she's special. And she obviously thinks you are too. What if you two get married?” 

“Do you hear that?” Asked Peter, tilting his head to the side. Everyone bowed their heads trying to hear. “It's the sound of my IQ dropping after listening to these atrocities.” He explained making everyone but Scott and Derek laugh. “That's why I'm going to save the neurons I have left, keeping a healthy distance from that individual.” Said, pointing to Scott.  
Jackson and Isaac were almost falling out of their seats laughing.

“It's not funny, you know?” Complained Scott. Stiles bit his lip to keep from laughing, like a good friend.

Night came, but the joke continued. They ordered food when the girls arrived and Jackson and Isaac had fits of laughter every time Peter avoided getting too close to Scott. When they explained to the girls, Lydia said she did not understand why they were surprised by what had happened, since she felt the same way since she started to have more contact with Scott.  
The next day it was a fight to get Derek out of bed. And it took Peter and Isaac to work together to get Derek to school.  
Defeated, he dragged his feet away with a sad expression as he could not play with the postman.

“You will be able to play with a lot of children there.” Isaac commented, trying to cheer up the little one.

"And play a lot of tricks too," added Stiles, earning an ugly look from Isaac and Peter, "or not."

“Good class for you.” He wished Peter. “Come on, Derek.” He called, taking the boy in his lap who waved to them almost crying.

“Anyone who sees it thinks he's going to be slaughtered.” Stiles commented, when the boy was already in the car, making his eyes widen. “Shit! I think he heard me.” Isaac didn't answer anything, just looked at him like he was an idiot.

When they arrived at school, Peter was again very well received by the mothers of Derek's classmates, and they were “escorted” to the classroom door.  
After last night's comments regarding the attention his mothers paid him, Peter couldn't help feeling uncomfortable being surrounded by them. So he said goodbye to Derek quickly, made some excuse and went home.  
Derek was hating the school and had barely arrived. The uncle had ignored any and all pleas from him not to leave him there, and that was unfair. They were a family and a pack, so he had to be on his side. So he decided that he would make it a horrible experience not only for him, but for his uncle as well. Nothing more fair, is it?  
It was then that he started to cry copiously. His small shoulders shook and he even managed to avoid it when one of the mothers got on his knees in front of him, with the clear intention of calming him down.

“He'll be back soon. You'll see. What is your name? Mine is Sam.” Said one of the mothers.

Derek looked at her, and she didn't smell as bad as the others and seemed to really want to help him, unlike the others who ignored him as soon as Peter turned his back.

“My name is Derek.” He replied, and she shook his hand, smiling. He almost felt bad about lying. “I wanted to go home to see my other dad.” He said when she dried his face. He took the opportunity to pout and look at her with eyes worthy of a Puss in Boots.

“Is he your mother's new husband?“ She asked, trying to understand.

“No, Daddy's boyfriend.” He said, with a sad smile. She smiled back.

Any guilt he might have felt left as soon as he heard the other mothers gossiping about his uncle.  
He said goodbye to Sam and went to class. With an evil smile, he approached some children, who apparently were trying to choose a game.

“We could play Werewolf.” He suggested, before snarling at a child who ran out laughing.

He went into the house and dropped the groceries on the counter, sighing. He had already taken Derek to school, gone to the Hale Mansion to inspect the progress of the work there, had lunch with Melissa and went shopping. It wasn't even two o'clock in the afternoon and he was already exhausted.  
A flashing light on the phone caught his eye. When he pressed the button, a mechanical voice sounded,

"You have twenty-six new messages."

Peter's eyes widened.

“First new message. Message received today at 8:15AM ”.

“Hey, Peter. It's Isaac. I'm just calling to check if everything was fine at school. See you latter. Bye".

Peter smiled after hearing the message.

“Second new message. Message received today at 8:32AM ”.

“This is Argent. I'm calling because I think we should talk about Derek. I'll call you later”.

Peter threw himself on the sofa, sighing.

“ Keep on dreaming, Argent.” He spoke to himself.

“Third new message. Message received today at 9:11AM ”.

“Mr. Hale, this is Lisa from school. I'm getting in touch because we had a little problem with Derek and some friends in the room. When you come to pick him up, the teacher would like to talk about what happened. Have a nice day".

Peter ran his hands over his face, tired.

“Fourth new message. Message received today at 9:25AM ”.

“Hale, it's Argent again. We really need to talk ”.

“Fifth new message. Message received today at 9:54AM ”.

"Who do you think you are to not take my calls, Hale?"

“I'm Hale. Peter Hale. A martini, please. Shaken, not stirred.”

“Sixth new message. Message received today at 10:30AM ”.

“What the fuck, Hale. Answer that phone right away. ”

Peter laughed. And turned on the television.

“What a stressed guy.”

“Seventh new message. Message received today at 11:12 AM ”.

“Hi, it's Melissa. It's just to let you know that I'm already on my break. And that you really need to remember to charge your cell phone, Peter. Kiss".

He took out his cell phone, and there really wasn't a bit of charge. It was dead.

“Eighth new message. Message received today at 00:05PM ”.

“Mr. Hale, this is Lisa again. I wonder if you could come and get Derek. He's here in the office. I tried to call on your cell phone, but it only goes to voicemail ”.

Peter looked at the phone, and got up quickly, taking the Tahoe keys.

He quickly passed on the remaining messages, and to his amazement, all the other eighteen messages were from Chris Argent and were full of unsubstantiated threats and accusations ranging from a mere prank to being too busy to answer the phone because he was digging graves in the yard that Chris Argent swore he would check and punish Peter if he had violated the code.  
Isaac arrived at his house, a little out of breath. He was anxious to know what Derek's first day at school had been like and if he had made a lot of friends. He hadn't even waited for Stiles' ride (they had gone to school with the Jeep today) and decided to come running, since the distance from the school was not that far.  
But he was surprised when he saw that Peter's car was not in front of the garage. He went in and started looking for them around the house. It was empty.  
When he heard a noise of cars, he went to the entrance. It was just Stiles and Jackson.

“Did you have a stomachache? Couldn't you have waited another second? I had to endure Stilinski alone.” Jackson muttered to Isaac.

“I was there too.” Lydia was indignant, getting out of the car too.

Jackson looked at his girlfriend.

“I had to put up with Stilinski and Lydia alone.” He fixed it, getting a slap from his girlfriend.

“They are not here.” Said Isaac. “They should have been here a long time ago.”

“Didn't he leave a message?” Asked Stiles, who had parked the car across the street and joined them. Isaac shook his head.

“What about messages on the machine? Did he leave a message?” Asked Lydia, entering the house and going to check.

The teenagers checked the secretary and listened to all the messages. And the werewolves were snorting after the hunter's threats. And they were already organizing to look for Peter and Derek when they heard the noise of the Tahoe car arriving.  
Peter came in with Derek on his lap, left him in the room and skipped up the stairs. He went down quickly holding a duvet that he folded in four, making a pillow. And deposited it on the floor, between the living room and the kitchen, leaning against the wall.  
Taking a deep breath, he ran his hands through his hair, looking extremely tired. He turned to Derek and took him to the spot, making him sit. The teenagers looked at each other without understanding anything.

“This is a corner of the discipline. Each time you misbehave, you will sit there thinking about what you did for five minutes. If after these five minutes you continue to behave badly, you stay five more minutes. If you get up for five minutes, I start counting again. And don't think I'm not going to put you there again, because if I need to, I can do it all night. Today, you will sit there because you bit your entire class for no reason, because you also bit the secretary girl and because you thought it was cool to be making up a lot of lies.” He informed the little one, who didn't seem happy at all. Then he turned on the teenagers.

“So, how were classes?” Peter asked Isaac and the others.

“We were playing Werewolf. I was the alpha. I had to bite everyone, duh.” Derek said as he got up and went to his uncle, making a face and pulling his pants.  
Peter said nothing when he picked the boy up and took him back to the corner.

“They were cool.” Said Isaac, seeing the boy get up again and kick Peter's leg, not enjoying being ignored.

Peter took a deep breath and took Derek back to the corner.

“You look like your day was stressful.” Isaac commented. “I can stay here tomorrow and help, if you want.”

Peter did not answer and took the boy who had snuck back to the corner again. Then he went to the fridge and picked up a can of coke, overturned its contents in a long glass and filled almost half with ice. He took a sip and smiled. He checked his watch. He seemed to wake up when he saw the teenagers looking at him. And he took three more cans and glasses for them, who sat on the counter.

“What did he ilie about at school, anyway?” Asked Stiles, playing with the can in his hand.

“He said he wanted to come home to be with his two dads.” Peter replied, checking his watch.

“With Argent?” Said Isaac, confused.

“No, apparently I have a boyfriend.” He explained, looking at his watch.

Stiles and Jackson spit out the soda, not waiting for an answer.

“Disgusting.” Complained Lydia.

Stiles, Jackson and Isaac started to laugh.

“It is not funny.” Fought Peter. “The time is over. Did you think about what you did?” He asked the boy.

“Yes, and I don't understand why you're mad. You have now made a lot of friends and you can get a new boyfriend like Uncle Mark.” Said petulant.

The silence was established in the environment. The teenagers looked from one to the other, expecting an explosion from Peter. But he just looked sad.  
He just shook his head from side to side and went up the stairs.  
Derek felt bad when he saw his uncle coming up the stairs, and went back to the corner.


	8. Touché

Derek's little lie spread through the small town of Beacon Hills with amazing speed.  
Melissa was shocked when she heard about Peter's supposed boyfriend, who he promptly denied existence. She laughed and said she was being silly, since he could never be interested in a man. When he said he had been married to one, she freaked out because she thought he should have mentioned it before and spent a couple of days without returning his calls, which Peter thought was ridiculous since she had never commented on her ex-husband.

“I don't know how she was so shocked. That leather jacket of yours doesn't fool anyone” commented John, when he visited him after the service “it kind of shouts "I was, am or will be", you know?” He completed, making everyone laugh. Peter just retaliated by tossing a pea.

One day, after picking up Derek from school, Peter went with the boy to buy some things at the supermarket. And just like the first time, Derek ran away as soon as he found himself surrounded by his uncle's old school friends and some school mothers.  
And this time, not even the security guards bothered to keep Peter from running down the halls looking for the boy, recognizing him the last time.  
He sighed with relief when he saw Derek standing next to Allison, and smiled as he walked over to them. But he hesitated when he saw that Allison was looking embarrassed and flushed. He looked around and noticed that she was not unique, since most of the people who were close to the cashiers were looking at him openly.

“Do I have something on my face?” he thought, running his hand over his face “They must have drawn on my face again and I didn't notice. It wouldn't be the first time. I need to remember to look in the mirror more often” he rambled.

He was so lost in thought and embarrassed to feel everyone's eyes on him that he didn't notice that someone was kneeling in front of Derek. So, he got scared when the person got up, getting very close to him.

“Why did you take so long?” Asked Chris Argent with a smile, placing his hand on his shoulder, drawing the attention of others.

“What do you mean? I was looking for him” replied Peter, who looked at the hand that was now stroking his shoulder “How many times have I told you not to run like that?” Peter asked Derek, who lowered his head and leaned against his legs.

“We were just talking” explained Chris, with a sweet smile, which made Peter retreat “You don't call, don't show up, I missed you” he said, making the youngest raise an eyebrow.

He saw some mothers at Derek's school looking at them, and felt his face flush. He looked at Allison, who looked as embarrassed as he did.

“You are shy” Chris said, surprised “You look like a tomato” said, rubbing Peter's face, making him close his eyes and take a deep breath to calm down and not kill him there in front of witnesses “Well, it was great to see you.”

Chris ran a hand over Derek's hair in a farewell and, taking advantage of the fact that Peter still had his eyes closed, gave him a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth.  
Derek and Allison's eyes widened when they saw the scene.

"Come on, Allison," he called, heading for the door.

"I'm really sorry," said the girl when she saw that Peter, with his face completely red, looking around, clearly embarrassed.

He followed the hunter's exit through the glass of the supermarket. And he had to restrain himself from snarling when he saw Chris turn and wave, sending him a kiss.

“Does this mean that you will be together? Will I have two parents?” Asked Derek, looking at his uncle.

“No!” replied indignantly, pulling the boy back to where they had abandoned the stroller “I'm going out with Melissa.”

“But she doesn't even answer when you call” replied the boy “Can we take broccoli?”

“And whose fault is that?” he said, narrowing his eyes at the boy, who winced “Of course we can. God forbid I hear you complaining that you don't have broccoli all night.” he muttered, making the boy laugh.

Peter was home as fast as he could. He parked the car anyway in the garage at home, dragged Derek across the street, and rang the doorbell.

“Oops!” John greeted as he opened the door, eating a bacon sandwich.

"Hi, Mr. Sheriff," Derek replied, with a giant smile.

"I need a favor," said Peter seriously.

"You can call me John," he said to Derek, smiling. "The other outcasts are upstairs. You can go up if you want.”

“Thank you, Mr. Sheriff” thanked Derek, flying past the adult and up the stairs jumping some steps.

"Is that a smell of bacon?" Stiles asked, opening the bedroom door.

"No, it’s the smell of a bacon sandwich," Derek replied, making the sheriff's eyes widen and pushing the sandwich over to Peter.

“Dad!” Scolded Stiles, coming down the stairs. However, when he arrived he only saw his father leaning against the doorframe and Peter holding a half-eaten sandwich.

He watched them for a few moments, narrowing his eyes. Peter rolled his eyes and took a bite of the sandwich, ignoring the young man next.

“Can you look at the puppies until I get back? I don't want them to forget to eat .” said Peter, after swallowing.

Stiles pointed two fingers at his eyes and then at his father, repeatedly, indicating that he would keep an eye on him and went back to his room.

“Is he gone?” Whispered John, his back to the staircase. Peter nodded and returned the sandwich after taking another bite “And what are you going to do, anyway? Do you have a date with Melissa?” He asked, his expression half closed.

"Homicide," Peter replied, making John laugh.

“Sure. And do you have any idea what time you're back?” He continued to eat his sandwich.

"It depends on how long it takes me to hide the body," said Peter thoughtfully. John stopped chewing and looked at the werewolf, measuring him.

"You're not kidding," he said, alarmed. "I'll be right back," shouted John, to the boys in the room. "You'd better explain to me exactly what's going on," he said, giving no excuse. Peter sighed and motioned for them to go to his house.

Stiles was on his computer doing some research on the micro, as the city was being attacked by a small group of Leprechauns, when he noticed that Scott was red. The friend had tears in his eyes and had both hands on his mouth, trying to block out any noise that might come out. And Stiles could have sworn it was a laugh, since Scott's shoulders were shaking. He looked at the others, to see if anyone else had noticed and saw that Isaac and Jackson were looking shocked, Allison looked guilty and kept asking Scott to stop whatever he was doing and Lydia was watching Peter's house from the front. He went to the window and saw Peter shouting on the phone, while John seemed to try to calm him down.

“But what's going on anyway?” Asked Stiles, poking his face in the window, trying to get a better look.

“You won’t believe it!” Scott said, wiping away his tears and laughing again.

“It was not funny. It was embarrassing.” Allison quarreled, slapping her boyfriend. When she saw Derek smiling at her, she smiled back “He looked like a tomato.” they both laughed.

"Your father is a jackass," Jackson muttered, not liking the hunter's audacity at all. Allison couldn't help but agree.

"Hey, human without super hearing here," said Stiles, waving his hands in front of them.

Isaac was clearly nervous and his eyes started to turn yellow.

"Whatever it is, it's going to get worse, because your father, Allison, has just arrived." Lydia commented, pointing to Chris's Tahoe wine.

Upon hearing the comment, Isaac growled, transformed and jumped out the window toward his home.  
Without thinking twice, the teenagers and Derek ran down the stairs after Isaac.

“I don't believe you still had the courage to come here!” Peter shouted, seeing Chris enter.

“Did I ruin your extermination plans? Try not to warn the next time you want to kill someone. I just want to talk.” he said, in a high tone, approaching Peter and John.

"Stay away from me" said Peter as he walked away, blushing.

“Are you still blushing from before? You didn't think it was serious, did you?” Asked the hunter, surprised.

"Get out of here," he said through his teeth.

“That's why you said you were going to kill me? Because I kissed you on the corner of the mouth? Oh really?” He laughed, disdainful “Imagine if I fucked you until you couldn't walk or remember your name.”

Peter looked shocked at what he said. The hunter, amused by the effect of his words on the werewolf, did not pay due attention to the other person present and was hit hard by a fist.

"I would measure the words if I were you, Argent," said the sheriff, looking pissed, as he stepped away again and placed himself between them.

Chris wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and watched them both. He saw how John placed himself in front of the other and how Peter unconsciously cringed and accepted the other's position submissively.  
Peter saw him narrowing his eyes as he put his hand under the stun gun he had brought. John had managed to take him by surprise with the blow, but it wouldn't happen twice.  
He saw a figure approaching the door and his gaze must have alerted the hunter, because when he heard the growl, Chris already turned with his gun in hand, shooting it in the direction of the target.  
The taser's shot hit Isaac's chest, which fell to the ground with a loud thump, returning to his normal appearance.

“Oh my God! Are you alright?” Peter asked Isaac, nervous as he checked the boy who was cowering on the floor, trembling. John hurried to check on the boy too.

When the others arrived they saw Isaac lying and Peter hugging him on the floor, with Chris pointing a stun gun at both of them.  
Derek, who was on Stiles' lap, began to struggle, turning into a wolf cub. And it was not long before he jumped to the ground, placing himself between the hunter and his pack. Peter pulled the puppy behind him and with Isaac, using his body as a shield.

The scene with the two huddled behind Peter shocked even Chris, who saw how a simple conversation blown up in an absurd way. So he wasn't surprised when he heard John, in his sheriff's attitude, asking him to escort him outside. He took a deep breath, somewhat regretful of the unfolding of the situation. After all, his intention was to talk and try to reach an agreement so that he could finally have contact with his son, and not terrify him by behaving like a Neanderthal.

He followed John towards the door, and saw that the other teens and even his daughter wasted no time running to Peter's side asking if they were all right, while he looked like a victim. Normally he had no problem controlling himself, so he felt terrible that the situation had reached that point.

He was almost leaving when their eyes met. Peter looked at him with a mischievous smile, while his eyes shone bright red, like the other day. And there he was sure that all along he had been manipulated and that Peter took advantage of it to make him the bad guy in the story.


	9. Secret Hale Archives

A few days had passed after the confusion with Chris Argent, and life at the Hale house was extremely peaceful.

Except when the alarm installed when they moved out went off for no apparent reason. It was necessary to call someone from the company to fix it. After all, Peter thought it best not to take unnecessary risks.

Peter had asked for a precautionary measure against the hunter, and was officially the adopted father of Derek and Isaac.

The puppies, on the other hand, seemed more and more attached to Peter every day, and it was not uncommon to see some (or all) teenagers wanting to use him as a pillow in the incessant sessions of cinema, video games or silly videos on youtube.

So John was surprised when he knocked on the door and no one came to answer it. It was almost eight o'clock at night, and there was not a sound coming from the house. The lights in the room were on, as far as he could see through the cracks in the window, but he didn't see any movement.

He took his gun and tried to open the front door. And to his surprise, the door was unlocked. He stopped outside, took a deep breath, and went in, kicking the door that hit the wall with some violence when it opened fully. When he got to the living room, he saw that Peter was sitting by the counter, staring at a cardboard box that seemed to have seen better days.

“I'm too old for that kind of shit, you know?” Growled John, putting his gun away and closing the door.

When Peter looked up, John noticed that his eyes glowed bright red and seemed out of focus and soon returned to their usual blue after he blinked.

"Hi, John," greeted Peter, completely disregarding his friend's dramatic entrance.

"Where's everyone?" Asked John, going to the fridge and grabbing a beer.

“I asked Isaac to take Derek bowling.” he replied, turning his attention to the box.

“So that you could glare at the box without being disturbed?” he poked, not really understanding the situation. Peter sighed.

“Derek told me yesterday that sometimes he couldn't remember his mother's face, nor Laura. So I went to my old apartment and got this box of photos.” he said “And I thought about organizing an album with some pictures of us that I took with the puppies.”

John looked at Peter in surprise. He did not expect such an attitude from the other.

"I thought you lived at Hale Mansion with the rest of the family." said the sheriff, sipping his beer.

Peter remembered how Martin, his older brother, threw him out of the house as soon as he heard that he had become involved with his English teacher who was twelve years older, and how no one defended him. How Mark accepted him into his home only to expel him days later when he did not believe he could be pregnant. And finally how did he end up in the apartment he bought with the amount Thalia gave him saying he was his part of the inheritance, when he saw he had nowhere to go.

“I thought it was time to venture out into the world” Peter finally answered and his eyes shone an intense blue, making John raise an eyebrow “Taking the box was easy, but opening it.” he snorted “It looks stupid, but I feel like photos and whatever else is in the box are like Schrödinger's cat” he laughed, embarrassed.

“Whose cat?” Asked John, having no idea what he was talking about.

“Schrödinger’s.” he repeated “In short, it was a cat, with a poison inside a closed, dark box. And since you don't see the cat, you don't know if it's alive or dead. So at that moment he is alive and dead.” he explained.

John seemed to reflect for a moment, then shook his head, depositing the beer can on the counter.

“Yeah, you're right because it looks pretty stupid.” he commented, making the werewolf laugh “What do you think about opening the box and I help you put the album together? If an evil cat comes out, I promise I'll shoot. I have a gun and I know how to use it.” he suggested and continued to drink his beer, trying to look carefree.

Motivated by his friend's words, Peter took a deep breath and opened the box. John smiled discreetly.

It didn't take long for the teenagers to arrive. And they were surprised to see Peter and John laughing and pasting some photos into an album.

“Why did you take pictures of ears?” The sheriff showed a photo of Peter, apparently a dozen years old, skinny, which made his ears stand out.” Peter laughed when he saw the photo, agreeing.

“My family was strange, what can I say?” He replied, still laughing.

Upon seeing the photos, Derek did not think twice about running and picking up the bit of the album that was almost ready, giving Peter a kiss on the face, who smiled at the boy. He then started showing the other teenagers the photos, introducing the rest of the Hale family. Lydia saw a picture of a young Peter and smiled to see how happy he looked with the girl next to him, who looked just like him.

The doorbell rang then, and Peter got up to answer it. And he couldn't help being surprised to see who it was.

“Hi, Peter. “said Melissa, a little embarrassed. “I know I didn't act right in the last days, and I'm sorry. Could we start over?” She asked hopefully. Peter smiled. She then hugged him saying that she missed him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

John looked a little upset when he saw the two of them together.

“What are you doing? Want some help?” She offered, when approaching and greeting John with a kiss on the cheek. Scott went to greet his mother when she arrived.

“Assembling a new family album.” Peter replied, embarrassed.

Melissa consented and sat on the other side of the counter, and started looking at the pictures, smiling at those she recognized Derek and Peter on.

He then sat down again next to John, who pushed him a photo of him small with his hair all messed up.

“Bad hair day?” He asked, trying to distract his friend who looked thoughtful again.

Peter looked at the photo and remembered that he had that ridiculous cut as a punishment, for a week, for letting Laura play hairdresser with real scissors. He laughed.

They continued to put the remaining photos in order, so that as soon as Derek released the album they just had to paste them.

Stiles, curious as always, couldn't help but see the pictures with Derek and started to rummage through the box that was now on the floor, leaning against the counter. Opening it, he saw some envelopes with what looked like letters, a small ready-made album of a blond baby he didn't know who he was and a VHS tape with a label that said 'Secret Hale Archives. Do not touch!'. He took the tape and took it to Peter, asking what it was about.

Peter smiled, saying that Thalia always liked to record everything, and that the habit ended up being passed on to him and Laura, so they made sure to film everything they could. So there probably should have been, in addition to some home videos, a good part of the pranks they preached on family members.

“I think we still have a VCR player somewhere at home. Do you want me to take a look?” Asked Stiles. Derek's eyes lit up with the possibility of being able to hear the family's voice again.

“I want to. Would you do that for me?” Derek asked before Peter could answer, putting his hands together as if to plead with Stiles. Stiles nodded and headed for the house with the tape.

John noticed that Peter seemed to be a little more tense. Melissa seemed to have noticed it too, as she wrapped her arm around his, pulling him up and showing a picture of him as a baby on Thalia's lap.

“How cute you were.” she said pointing to his huge cheeks in the photo. “You still iare, of course.” She completed by winking at him, making him blush.

Melissa kept hitting Peter hard, taking his arm whenever possible. Peter didn't even seem to notice the flirtation, being mostly silent and staring at the photos. John was already annoyed to be a third wheel.

“Does this photo of your niece go to the album too?” He asked, trying to break the mood that Melissa was trying to impose, showing a photo of someone holding a blond baby with curly hair.

Peter took the photo and gave a sad smile after seeing it.

“This is me and not Laura, Mr. Magoo. But you can put that in the album.” said Peter, shaking his head.

Isaac and Jackson got up to see the photo when they heard Peter's comment.

"It's not my fault if you looked like a girl," John commented, seeing that Peter looked paler after he saw the photo.

“Wow! I have to agree. He didn't even have a beard yet” Jackson commented, showing the photo to Isaac who was comparing the photo with Peter's current appearance.

"Traitor," grumbles Peter, glaring at Jackson who laughed.

"At least the baby looks like you." commented Isaac, trying to cheer him up.

Derek brought the album to compare a photo of when Peter was younger and was with him and Laura with the one he had with the baby. And really, Charlie was his face, only his hair was a little lighter and curly.

Peter's eyes went red and only John noticed and heard him mumble something like "My twin from another mother" before he blinked and his eyes went back to normal. John saw that he looked a little embarrassed.

“You don't have to be ashamed, you know? Everyone has something from the past that they would like to forget.” said John, drawing the attention of everyone present.

Melissa laughed.

“And what could you have done that was so embarrassing?” Melissa asked, laughing.

John mumbled something that only the werewolves seemed to hear.

“Did you make a porn movie to pay for college and the police course?” Scott asked doubtfully. Jackson and Isaac supported each other laughing. Melissa puts her hand over her mouth in an amused expression.

"Now you're going to have to show it," said Melissa, starting to hit the counter, stirring up the mess with the teenagers. And then everyone sang a chorus of "Show us! Show us! Show us".

John reluctantly went to the living room, and when he found the title he was looking for on Netflix, he triggered the display.

"I didn't know it had porn on Netflix," Scott commented, confused.

"Ah, it's much worse than a porn movie." admitted John, making a face when his face appeared on the screen.

“I don’t believe it. This was my favorite movie when I was younger.” commented Peter when he started playing Mortal Kombat.

The teenagers started cheering.

Stiles came back after finding the VCR, but said the tape looked dirty and that they probably wouldn't be able to watch it until they cleaned it up.

“Don’t worry. I'll take a look at the tape later.” John said to his son.

At that time, Stiles saw his father on the screen and started jumping and celebrating. He ran and sat down next to Derek.

“Wow. You were hot.” said Lydia, approving the fighter's physique in the film.

“Indeed. What happened?” Asked Peter innocently.

"Fuck you," replied the sheriff, making his friend laugh.

“So, what do you think of pizza?” Suggested Peter. Everyone agreed excitedly.

Derek followed Peter when he got up and sat on the counter with the photo album. Peter went to the counter and John went with him. Before picking up the phone, Peter stopped and looked at John.

"Thank you," said Peter, smiling at his friend. John smiled back and felt his heart beat faster when he realized that Peter was very handsome when smiling.

“So? Do you want an autograph?” He asked, blinking and raising his eyebrows suggestively. Peter laughed.

Neither noticed that Derek had looked up from the album and was watching them both with a smile.

At his home, Chris was watching what was going on at Peter's house on cameras. He saw Peter in the kitchen with Derek and John packing up what looked like an album and eating pizza. The three talked. Once in a while Derek would show something from the album and Peter would respond and explain. Peter and John laughed a lot the whole time.

When John and Stiles arrived home late at night, Stiles said goodbye to his father and ran to his room to sleep since the next day he had class.

Despite being tired, John was curious. He had found some things in his friend's behavior strange, but he didn't have enough knowledge about werewolves to know whether they were normal or not. So he decided to take the tape, take it apart and clean it. Maybe there could be the answers he was looking for.

And to his surprise, it didn't take long and there were no pieces left when he reassembled the tape. He put the tape on the VCR and adjusted the image, which was not perfect, but was good enough. He plugged the headset into the television and started watching.

The tape started with a blond baby with light eyes being carried by a young girl, similar to Derek, with dark hair, on a beach. She looked proud when he took a few steps alone. When the boy who was filming, and who had a very familiar voice that he could not identify, called the child's name, the baby laughed. Only then did John realize that it was Peter when he was a baby. He was a beautiful baby. The sheriff smiled and continued to watch.

The tape seemed to accompany the family, but especially Peter's development. Peter, two, three. Sitting on a playground playing and kicking a man's shin, whose face never showed. Peter with the rest of the family. The sharp age difference between him and his brothers. John noticed that only Thalia seemed to pay attention to the boy. And that unlike all the other members of the family, Peter was the only one with light hair and eyes, and he looked lonely. A new footage showed Peter with Thalia in the hospital, while the person was recording what John thought was the first encounter between Peter and a baby. Thalia asked what name Peter thought she should have. He thought about it and answered Laura. Thalia smiled and said it was a beautiful name. Peter seemed happy to see a baby with hair and eyes as clear as his.

As the tape continued, he always saw Peter and Laura together. Him teaching her to crawl, helping to take the first steps, and then she started walking, always going after him. The two are always somewhat apart from the rest, always trying to keep each other company. They at a picnic, sitting in the back, eating. She choking, and he worriedly calling his sister while patting the little girl, who seemed not yet three years old. Finally, she spit out whatever it was, before any of the elders came to help. John saw that when they finally arrived, what appeared to be the oldest of them did not think twice about going after Peter. John saw with a sinking heart, Peter screaming and trying to escape, while being beaten. The little girl standing between them, trying to protect Peter, her eyes glowing red at her uncle, while snarling. She continued until they were gone. John saw that her expression softened when she turned to Peter, and her eyes returned to their usual blue color. She dried his face with small hands and hugged him to calm down. The scene ended with Thalia arriving shortly after and checking that Peter and the little girl were fine.

The two were always together. And John noticed that everyone always seemed to fight with Peter, no matter how much they were both to blame. The two seemed to be glued together. And John found it difficult to imagine how all that love and companionship ended in death.

In the next scene they were alone playing in the same playground as the beginning of the tape and the man's voice asked why she was so attached to her uncle. Peter looked at the camera, he seems to be about eight years old. John noticed that he looked a lot like little Derek at that age. Laura looked to be about four. She looked at the camera with an angry expression and her eyes glowed red. 'Peter is my twin from another mother,' she said. The man laughed.

John paused the tape on her expression. They were the same red eyes he had seen before. And hadn't Peter said something similar when he saw the photo he had shown? John rubbed his hands over his face. Maybe he was seeing things.

He pressed play again. Laura ignored the man who was filming and went back to playing with Peter, who seemed to have paid no attention to what she had said. The scene ended there. Then they followed several scenes of the two growing up together, without any dialogue. They sat watching some drawing on television. Playing, concentrated in a world of their own. The two of them in what appeared to be a library, reading books that looked very old next to a dark man that John recognized as the veterinarian Deaton.

Seeing the two in profile, John couldn't help commenting that Peter and Laura really did look like twins. The difference was obviously their sex, their age, and that while Peter's hair was more golden, hers was more reddish.

The scenes followed the two for years, which was visible by the physical changes in both and the appearance of a new baby with black hair and light eyes. John recognized him as being Derek. Peter and Laura taking care of Derek, who followed the two up and down. The three oldest, plus a baby, a girl with black hair and eyes, like her mother. Peter carrying her up and down. Her name was Cora. Peter and Laura being naghty and Peter always being punished for it. John realized that of the three oldest, Laura seemed to be the most protective, while Derek was the innocent and Peter seemed too sensitive. He had lost count of how many scenes over the years recorded Peter ended up in tears, with Laura always protecting him with her eyes shining red. Never once did Peter's eyes shine that color.

John stopped the tape again. Something was wrong there, but he still wasn't sure what exactly. He removed the tape and put it in the box. He turned off all the equipment. He ran his hands through his hair, tired. Perhaps it would be better to sleep and continue the next day. And he had a good idea of where to start.

When he was on the stairs he came back and took the tape. With it in hand, he went to his room.

Stiles woke up the next day and went down to prepare breakfast for him and his father when he noticed a note on the table.

"They called from the service and I had to get in early.

Don't forget to have breakfast.

Try not to set the house on fire.

Don't kill anyone in traffic.

Love, Dad"

He laughed after reading and went to get the cereal package and milk. He looked out the window and saw Peter running after the puppy down the street. He smiled and mixed everything in a bowl.

John stopped the car on the street and headed for the glass door. Taking courage, he knocked on the door.

"We are still closed," said the man as he opened the door. “Sheriff Stilinski.” 

“I know it will only open later, but I wonder if we could talk a little before that? I would really like your help with some doubts I have.” said John, showing the tape and its label.

“Of course. Come in.” Alan Deaton invited him, opening the veterinary clinic door.


	10. Leave a message after the bip

It was past lunchtime and they were still under that scorching sun installing basketball hoops in the backyard of the house.

John was actually just helping out as Peter was the only one hanging, juggling heights to install the rims at a height that he thought was appropriate.

While helping with reaching for the necessary tools and parts for the werewolf, he was distracted by remembering his visit to the vet days earlier. Deaton had been clear about his opinion of Peter. He had said horrible things and John could not believe he was being so naive to be totally deceived.

_ * Flashback* _

_ Deaton took the tape and examined it. It appeared to be the original tape with Thalia's recordings. _

_ John spoke of the strange things he noticed not only that day, but the others as well, about Peter. The eyes that changed color and turned red for no apparent reason. The phrases he said and that didn't make sense until he saw the tape, where Laura said the same thing. _

_ Deaton dropped the tape on the stainless table and walked away. _

_ "I suspected they had done something like this, but I had no evidence so far," he commented. _

_ “So you knew them well?” Asked the sheriff to test the vet, as he had seen him on the recordings. _

_ Deaton laughed. _

_ “Yes, they were my students when they were little. Thalia had sent them both to study with him, in an attempt to get them entertained and do something other than trouble for the rest of the family.” _

_ John chuckled and said he didn't think that was exactly what happened. _

_ Deaton turned and faced him. _

_ "You seem to know him well," said the vet, and seemed to assess John. _

_ "I'm an observer," replied the sheriff, in a carefree voice. _

_ The vet smiled and offered coffee, which John readily accepted. _

_ “They were interested in the strangest subjects like black magic. And I could have sworn that some books disappeared, and after a while they reappeared out of place.” he looked thoughtful “The lessons stopped when I realized that they were using the animals of the clinic as guinea pigs in their morbid games.” he said, making John's eyes widen. “Since he was a little boy, Peter already demonstrated several conduct disorders, which could already be signs of psychopathy. I thought it better to leave him out than it could give him more wrong ideas.” _

_ “What about Laura?” Asked John. _

_ “She refused to study without Peter. She was very attached to him.” he replied, after sipping his coffee. _

_ “You said that he showed several conduct disorders, what did you really refer to?” _

_ Deaton was embarrassed and was clearly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. _

_ “Peter has always had trouble connecting with other people. He had misconduct.” _

_ John was unsure what he was referring to. _

_ “He suffered or practiced bullying or something?” He tried to understand. _

_ Deaton shook his head. _

_ “He was romantically involved with much older people.” _

_ This reminded John of Peter and Melissa's approach, and how he forgot to comment on how much younger he was. _

_ “How old was he when he started with this behavior?” John asked. _

_ “He had just turned sixteen when he got involved with Mark, a school teacher. Much of the pack thought it would be a danger to keep him there, and in the end Thalia as Alpha accepted the majority decision, for the sake and safety of the group. He was not seventeen when Charlie was born.” _

_ “Who is Charlie?” _

_ “Charlie was the result of his adventure with that teacher.” _

_ John spat out the coffee he was drinking. _

_ “How can a homosexual relationship result in a child?” The sheriff thought he got it wrong. “And why the hell would the family abandon a pregnant teenager alone?” _

_ “Werewolves from birth can bear children, even if they are male.” the vet explained. “And Thalia did not throw him on the street. She put him safely in an apartment, where he would be out of everyone's eyes and safe from hunters.” _

_ John still seemed unsatisfied with the answer. _

_ “And what end did the teacher have?” He asked at last. _

_ “After Charlie was born they ended up getting closer, and the family accepted the union of the two. And for all intents and purposes, they looked like a happy family.” _

_ John remembered Peter's picture with the baby, and how he smiled. He sighed, knowing that the story did not end there. _

_ “Both the teacher and the baby died in a car accident two years later. At the time, they suspected sabotage, since the car had no brakes at all” said the vet, with a serious face. _

_ John looked alarmed. _

_ "And you suspect it was Peter," he said. Deaton nodded. _

_ “He was extremely disturbed at the time and Thalia had to keep him imprisoned for more than three months in the mansion's basement, until he was sure he was no longer a danger. _

_ John found it horrible to lock someone like that for so long. It was worse than the boy's father Lahey did. _

_ “Despite being locked up, Peter was never alone. Laura always stayed by his side, even with express orders from the alpha to stay away.” _

_ "I thought alpha was the highest level," he commented doubtfully. _

_ “Laura was a special case. Since she was little she showed that she would be an alpha. A true one. And therefore, nothing and no one would be able to keep the two away.” _

_ “That's why her eyes shone bright red even when she was little.” as he had seen on the tape and with Peter. _

_ Deaton consented. _

_ “I can't understand how he had the courage to kill Laura and how he didn't even succeed if she was that strong, and he had just come out of a coma.” _

_ The vet gives a sad smile. _

_ “I always thought that the two plotted this together, that they had made some kind of pact. But my theory went downhill when Laura's body was found cut in half. _

_ John looked thoughtful for a moment. He got up and walked around the room. _

_ “It would be plausible that they did this, but something unforeseen happened and she was left without a body? What would happen to her in this case?” he inquired, curious. _

_ “It is plausible. In that case, she stayed with him, at least up to that point. But the case is: he died soon after, and I doubt that was in their plans.” _

_ "But he came back using black magic." replied the sheriff. _

_ “No,” denied the vet “Someone came back. If your theory is correct, it could be Peter, it could be Laura, the two or even someone totally different. They certainly had some knowledge of what needed to be done, but they were far from being experts on the subject.” _

_ John was startled by the possibility of someone or something unknown posing as Peter. _

_ "We will never know for sure then," he concluded angrily when he saw that he would not get all the answers he wanted after all. _

_ "There's actually a way," Deaton said, as he turned and looked for something in one of his cabinets. He returned and deposited a small bag of fine powder in John's hand. _

_ * End of flashback * _

“John! John! Are you listening to me?” Peter asked, with a worried expression for his friend. “I think you spent too much time in the sun.” he commented, placing his hand on the other's forehead. “Maybe it would be better to go in and drink something.”

John seemed to wake up to the suggestion.

“Something stupidly cold would be great.” he agreed with a silly smile on his face. Peter laughed.

They headed for the kitchen. Peter quickly picked up the glasses, the ice tray and cans of his favorite soda.

"I had thought of something more about the barley juice line," John commented, desolate as he looked at the soda on the counter. "If you can get me, I'll pour your glass" he offered, looking pitiful.

Peter shook his head and stood up to get the beer from the fridge. John took advantage of the fact that Peter was on his back to pour out the contents of the bag the veterinarian had given him. Then he poured an absurd amount of ice cubes, as Peter liked and served Coca-Cola when Peter was already returning to the counter. Peter didn't notice anything strange when delivering the beer to the sheriff.

“Are you alright? Your heart is racing.” he asked looking at him strangely.

"Just nervous." John replied sincerely.

Peter smiled and started to drink his soda. He drank almost the whole glass and John saw no difference.

"Probably the powder had no effect," thought John, turning his attention to his cold beer.

He looked up when he saw Peter lifting and pouring the rest of his Coca-Cola into the sink.

“Are you alright?” He asked, wondering at the attitude of the werewolf who was addicted to Coca-Cola.

“Peter cannot respond at the moment. Would you like to leave a message?” The Not-Peter asked as he stepped away from the fridge and turned to John, with the pitcher of lemonade in hand.

John seemed too surprised to answer.

Not-Peter stared with red eyes for a few seconds, then turned his attention to his glass and helped himself.

“Whatever you put in the soda left him doped and with an absurd headache” the person in front of him commented, in a soft voice, after looking at the right corner. He seemed to be able to see Peter.

“Laura?” Asked John, impressed that it really worked.

“Yeap.” she agreed. “You are a really good detective. Just like Peter said.”

“Do you talk to each other, then?” John looked scared. She nodded her head.

“You understood everything very fast and even managed to call me here.” she said, impressed, raising her glass in greeting.

“You gave all the tips,” justified the sheriff. “I just followed them.”

"No, I just gave you the key so you could understand the message" she denied calmly.

He frowned.

“How did you know that I would see the tape or look for Deaton?” John was surprised.

"I didn't know," she replied, leaving him perplexed. "But I expected it nonetheless.”

John still didn't seem to believe it and was staring.

“Your mother never said that it is rude to face others?” Said Laura, raising her eyebrows. Then she drank some lemonade.

“It was not my intention to offend.” John apologized. “It's just that it's very strange. As much as it is the same body, you are so different” he said, noting the posture that was different, the delicacy of the movements and the strong look she had.

“What did you expect? We are different people.” she muttered bored.

“But how is that even possible?” He asked, astonished.

"You must have an idea if you spoke to Alan," she commented with a small smile.

He agreed, but his expression closed. He looked annoyed.

“Something wrong?” She asked, concerned.

“Deaton answered my questions, I just don't know if the information is reliable.”

“Because?”

“One thing I learned at my job is to trust my instinct. And something tells me there's something more.” he ran his hands through his hair. “I've been following Peter since Derek and Isaac are with him, and nothing Deaton said matches what I see daily.”

"He told me what he knew, which was almost nothing.” said Laura, unconcerned.

“What do you mean?” He asked. “I don't understand.”

“Did you pay attention to the tape?” she asked. He said yes “And what did you think?”

He seems to think for a while before answering.

“The impression I had was that Peter seemed to be very alone. And he seemed too sensitive to do all the atrocities Deaton said.” he finally responds.

“Isn't it ironic that someone from the outside could see this right away, while everyone who was nearby ignored it? I was right to show you that. You are perfect.” She said, with a smile. “Peter needs a friend more than ever, someone who can see what he really is, someone who understands him. Someone who loves him.” she explains, making his eyes go wide.

He looked a little embarrassed.

“So, how long have you been interested in Peter?” She asked, after sipping her lemonade.

He opened his mouth but was unable to make a sound. It looked like a fish out of water. She laughed at his expression.

"There is no point in lying, your heart beats whenever you get too close to him lately" she commented, making him embarrassed. She smiled when she realized his discomfort “Don't worry. Peter didn't notice anything. And you will hardly notice, since his heart does the same when you get too close.” She said in a gossip tone, surprising John. She laughed. “He probably doesn't have the same level of interest, but the thought has already crossed his mind. And as he is an idiot with practically zero experience in relationships, he can't help thinking about it when he sees you and he is all embarrassed.” she said as if she thought his shyness was the cutest thing in the world. “It's a miracle that he doesn't stay looking like a tomato or stammer every time he is close to you.” she laughed. “Maybe he is finally learning.”

“Deaton said he had a son and a relationship with someone older. How could he be practically inexperienced at all?” Asked John, not understanding.

“What exactly did he tell you, sheriff?” she found her reaction strange.

John told how Deaton painted Peter as a troubled child, a promiscuous teenager and a homicidal adult. Laura was livid with anger.

“Lies. Peter was none of those things.” she said. “He was the best friend I ever had. He was always extremely affectionate with everyone, and few were with him. When we were little we got in some trouble, so what? We lived in a giant house in the middle of the woods, with no neighbors to play with and we had nothing to occupy ourselves with. We were a little carried away, but that was a sign of health, not of problems.”

"He said that Peter mistreated animals." he said to see her reaction.

Laura looked horrified and disgusted by the idea.

“It wasn't quite like that. We were just trying to apply what we were learning on our own.” she explained.

“With black magic ?!” He asked in amazement.

“Black, white, pink. What's the difference? Magic is magic and period. What is important is your use of it. And we were trying to save the animals that were doomed and in a terminal phase.” she noticed that he seemed surprised by the information. “Ah, I think he forgot to tell the details. How convenient.” she commented with a smirk.

“He also said that he was promiscuous and that he got involved with a school teacher when he was a minor and had a child with him.” he decides to provoke her to see her reaction.

“How can someone be promiscuous when they have only been involved with one person in their whole life?” She replied, making him shut up. “He was hopelessly in love with Mark when it happened. And he probably only took the initiative because it was his first heat. “John looked shocked by the expression she used. “Every werewolf has one heat a year, which is basically the time when they mate and breed. The hormones are out of control and everything.” she explained.

“And every werewolf has to go through this every year? You have no choice?” John asked in horror.

She laughed.

“At the heat everyone passes, it is biological. But that doesn't mean you have to repopulate the world with new puppies every year. There are methods depending on the type of partner you have. And you can always avoid contact with others during the period. That's usually what parents do when werewolves are almost puppies.” she replied.

“What went wrong then?”

“Simple. He didn't have any parents who cared enough about him. Nobody paid attention, nobody noticed the changes. I was always with him, but I was too young to notice, and nobody ever bothered to talk to him about that kind of thing.” she admitted.

“So he had no idea what could happen?” he said in amazement.

“What he knew was what he saw at school in human reproduction classes. Too bad we're not human, don’t you think?” she commented. “He went to Mark and confessed his love. And was reciprocated.” she continued the story.

“He felt the same way about Peter?” John was confused. Laura shook her head.

“Mark only reacted like any man to a tempting offer, he gladly accepted. Peter was young, untouched, beautiful and was willing to do anything to please him. He would be crazy if he dismissed him.” she explained coolly.

John looked disgusted by the professor's attitude.

"My exact feelings on the matter" she said, raising her glass and agreeing with John.

He seemed to recover a little and decided to return to his line of reasoning.

"Was that when they decided it was better for Peter to stay away from the rest of the pack?" He wanted to confirm Deaton's information.

She looked at him strangely. She didn't seem to understand what he meant. Then she said that when Peter returned the next day, it was clear what he had done. Everyone in the house noticed the smell before he even entered the door. Martin, his older brother wasted no time in demanding that Peter tell where and who he spent the night with. And when Peter told him about Mark, he got mad! He knew Mark from school, and thought he was worthless and that he was whore. He said that Peter was a moron for falling for his speech. Peter defended him by saying that he was no longer like that, that he was responsible, he was a teacher. Martin lost control and gave Peter a huge beating.”

John remembered the scene on the tape where he beat Peter when he was a little boy and was penalized.

“No one moved a finger. They thought he deserved it, that he had been irresponsible and would draw the hunters' attention to them with this scandal. That he put the whole pack at risk with this thoughtless attitude. I tried to defend him, but they were too many and stronger. They put him out of the house.”

John motioned for her to stop. He didn't understand anything anymore. Peter had been expelled from the pack?

“Deaton said he stayed in an apartment safe.” John repeated the previous information.

“My mother, Thalia, who was an alpha, was traveling when this happened and that Martin, who was the first beta and the second in command, took advantage of this to put Peter to run. The others could have objected, but no one did.”

“And where did he stay then?” the sheriff asked, surprised. “A teenager with no money and no job or any qualification would not have many options.”

“He looked for Mark, who let Peter stay when he saw the state he was in. When my mom came back from the trip, she agreed that Peter had better stay away from the pack. I went with her when she gave him some money to keep him.” she paused. “I had never seen him cry so much.” She looked extremely sad.

The sheriff thought it was absurd for the sister who had always taken care of him to simply turn his back on him.

“What about Charlie?” he asked.

“Peter only found out a month later and told Mark along with the whole truth about werewolves and everything. Mark laughed, called him crazy and told him to leave.”

John was astonished that he put Peter out too.

“After that Peter took half the money that my mother had given and bought a small apartment and kept the rest. He got a job and worked as far as he could and then stayed at home until the baby was born.” she concluded.

“And how did he come home afterwards? I can't imagine him forgetting and forgiving all of this.” he commented.

“That's where you are wrong. Shortly after Charlie was born he called asking someone to pick him up.” she said, leaning over the counter.

“He just gave up his child?” John was surprised.

"It was nothing like that." she denied, shaking her head. "He had some complications during the birth and wanted to make sure someone found the child before he died." she explained with a sinister little smile.

John was horrified.

“When we all got there, he was looking dead and had blood everywhere. For a minute I doubted he would survive.” she said sadly.

John had teary eyes.

“Phillip, one of my uncles, was a doctor and took care of Peter. While my mother, my aunt Helena and I took care of Charlie. Peter only woke up a few days later.” he said “Charlie was the cutest baby I had ever seen.” she had a huge smile. “And everyone felt terrible for having treated Peter badly after they saw that little angel.”

“And how did Peter react to everyone after he recovered?” he was curious.

Laura looked down and looked bleak.

"His eyes glowed blue." she said at last.

John didn't understand what she meant, since Peter's eyes were always blue.

“Not the color of the eyes, but the color that they shine when we are in contact with our wolf side, which reflects what we really are. Alphas have red eyes that indicate power, betas have yellow eyes that indicate their fragility and innocence, omegas have orange eyes that are a mixture of the two, since they are on their own. But only werewolves who have seen something pure die have blue eyes.”

“And who did he see die?”

“Himself.” she replied without hesitation. “He had spent months alone, abandoned when he most needed everyone. They killed him when they broke his heart.”

John nodded, understood what she meant.

“And how did you all work that out? What about Mark?” He was anxious, wanting to know how it ended.

“Peter returned to our home to spend time with me, with Derek and with Cora. The others eventually arrived. One day Mark showed up there. He wanted to see the boy. Then he started going to Peter's house every day to see his son, and soon he moved there.”

John was astonished to know that Peter accepted the guy back so easily. Laura said that he really was in love with Mark. Why she would never understand, since she thought he deserved a lot better.

John asked how they died.

“In a car accident. They were at a meeting at home, and they had a fight. Mark drove off with the car and took Charlie with him without telling anyone. When Peter realized that no one had seen the boy in a while, he panicked since our yard was huge.” he commented, obviously referring to the forest. “When Peter returned home, the police had already called to warn of the accident. He went crazy. He ran out before anyone could stop him and went to the spot to see for himself.”

John winced.

"The problem is, It didn't have much to see or much to bury." she commented morbidly.

John took a breath and asked if he was locked in the cellar for three months anyway. Laura nods.

"I stayed with him every day until he got better." she said.

"Deaton thinks he sabotaged the car." said the sheriff.

“This is absurd! Peter loved Charlie more than anything, and even though everyone would prefer not to, he was in love with Mark. I do not doubt that anyone actually sabotaged the car. My family had several enemies that could have done it.” she said, referring to the hunters “And even within our family, nobody died of love for Mark. But I'm sure it wasn't him.” she was categorical.

"He also said that it was at that time that he became psychotic" said John, already tired of so much mismatched information.

“Alan lies compulsively.” she laughed “Until our deal to avenge our family, Peter had never tried to kill anyone except himself. That's why he was there for three months.”

John looked shocked. He didn't expect this one. But he wanted to know the rest.

Laura said that after that, they decided to go to college together. He returned to live at the Mansion and the two were practically inseparable until the fire, when she had to flee with Derek to avoid being killed by the hunters, while Peter was in a coma in the hospital.

John said that now they finally got to the part that he couldn't quite understand. How she was there talking to him and with alpha red eyes. She shouldn't have lost her post when Peter "beat" her in combat.

“I always showed signs that I would be an alpha. Which is rare. Some call people like me true alpha. Someone who could be an alpha without necessarily inheriting from another, as was normal.”

She then explained how they kept in touch, even if minimal, when he started showing signs of improvement and plotted everything. They planned how he would kill his body while keeping his soul safe in himself, so as to acquire the power of an alpha. How they discovered the list of names with those responsible for the fire. How he would make new betas, keeping Derek safe and away, to help him with revenge. Until things started to go wrong.

“Peter cut your body in half. That wasn't in the plans, was it?” John commented.

“He didn't do that. It was hunters to attract Derek.” she defended him.

She then recounted how Peter's new beta rebelled with Derek's help. And how difficult it was to make Derek himself trust Peter after the hunters said he had killed her with cruelty refinements. As she always tried to help, sometimes interfering. As Peter had a plan B, in case something went wrong than it already was. And as in the end, even she couldn't make him move when he saw the fire.

"I don't understand." John admitted.

“Just before he died, Stiles and Jackson threw Molotov cocktails at Peter, and when he saw the fire, he just stopped. This gave Derek a chance to attack and kill him.”

“So, did Plan B enter?” He asked, with a smile. The story was shocking, but he was impressed by their reasoning.

“Yes.” she agreed, with a smile. “Thanks to Plan B we managed to survive thanks to Lydia. Peter tried to get Lydia to cooperate, very gently. But the girl refused to see what was going on. So I took the lead when our time was running out, and I fear that I wasn’t as delicate and careful as Peter.” she gave him an amused smile. “And then we came back. And the rest of the story you already know.”

"I find it hard to believe that Peter had a plan B, and you didn't." said John, looking into her eyes.

"You are perceptive, sheriff." she commented with a smile. Her eyes had a mischievous gleam. “That was my plan B. I knew something could go wrong. But I would always be with Peter, as I promised after Charlie was born.”

“And there is nothing that can be done? So that you can get your life back?”

She smiled.

“No. There is no way to recover my body. Even if I managed to revive it, I would soon die of bleeding because not even an alpha could mend two parts of a body. But even if my body was still intact it wouldn't be viable. Everything about black magic comes at a price. In this case, the price was a big part of Peter's strength. There is no guarantee that if we tried again, he would survive. And if he died, then it would be all in vain.”

“I don't understand why you made this deal in the first place. You could have done it all yourself, without running any risk of running out of a body or something going wrong. You had the list with the names. You were already the alpha.” concluded John after finding out everything that had already been said.

"I certainly could." agreed Laura, finishing her glass of lemonade. “With the deal, he would have enough power as an alpha to recover, apart from the pleasure of ending all those responsible for the death of the family. It certainly wouldn't make the nightmares he still had go away, but it would certainly bring a relief and a sense of accomplishment.” She concluded.

John nodded in agreement. He understood her point.

“But how do you live there? Do you always get stuck, or forgotten in a corner?” He asked, disturbed.

She laughed.

“No, I'm not stuck. I see what he sees. I can do what he does, like now. But I don't really like doing that. Except in extreme cases when a show of strength is needed to command respect, or when he asks for my help. I'm happy to see him happy with the pack's new puppies and he's so much better than me to look after Derek. In a short time he did a lot more for him than I did in six years. So I'm content to help and protect whenever necessary until Derek grows up and resumes his place as an alpha.”

"You speak as if you expect something to go wrong." said John.

“My father will not give up so easily, that hunter has a terrible genius and does not like to be contradicted. Peter thinks he finally got rid of him, but he is wrong. He's up to something and it's not just about Derek. He doesn't just want my little brother. He wants us all. And when he arrives, it will only bring disgrace, and nothing he offers Peter will be good for him. He will try to destroy his past, but it will only bring pain and nothing else. I tried to alert Peter, but he is stubborn and refuses to even consider the matter. And that's where you come in. You have to keep your eyes open for him, John.” she got up and held his face in her hands. “Some things should never be said, understand?” she looked distressed.

John was going to ask what she meant by that when she looked in the right corner, dropped her face and walked away.

“The effect is passing. Time is running out.” she murmured.

She got up and put the glass in the sink, took a new one, another coke, more ice, served it and sat down in front of John again.

And this time he could see Peter's eyes losing their red glow, becoming out of focus and slowly returning to the usual blue color.

Peter grimaced and flinched a little. He seemed to be in pain.

“Are you okay, Peter?” Asked John, concerned.

“Yes.” Peter answers “Just with a hed-”

“Headache?” John interrupted him. Peter nodded “Why don't we get some rest then?” He suggested.

Peter thought it was an excellent idea and they both threw themselves on the sofa to watch television.

Peter kept fidgeting on the couch all the time, unable to find a comfortable position as his head throbbed with pain.

"Take some medicine" suggested the sheriff, looking at him strangely.

"It would hardly work and I don't even have medicine at home." the werewolf muttered, closing his eyes. The light was bothering him.

John then pulled him, making him lie with his head on his lap.

“What are you doing?” Asked Peter, embarrassed.

“Molesting you, of course.” replied John, with a mocking face, making him blush.

He then began to massage Peter's temples, who could not contain a sigh of relief when the pain started to subside. It didn't take long for Peter to fall asleep.

John watched him sleep and for the first time admitted to himself that he cared for Peter more than as a friend.

"You are no longer alone." he said softly, seeing the werewolf's calm and serene expression.

When the teenagers and Derek arrived from school, they found the two of them sleeping on the couch with the television on. John was asleep, his head hanging back and snoring while Peter was lying with his head on his side, hugging John's arm against his chest.


	11. Nobody expected this

Allison went back to the house, and Derek no longer seemed so hostile to her. He wasn't exactly loving as he was with the others, but at least he didn't run out every time he saw her. Allison already considered this an extraordinary advance in their relationship.

The days passed and soon became weeks and months. Derek grew at an absurd rate and seemed to have grown at least five years. As a result, Peter was forced to take him out of school and he was now studying at home.

Peter and John seemed very connected and at times one of the boys, usually Derek or Isaac, could have sworn that they had interrupted something between the two, since they looked extremely embarrassed, moving away from each other with red faces and accelerated hearts.

When the social worker came again, Peter had to have a lot of patience to convince her that yes, that was Derek, and that it had been many years since she first came, and that maybe it was time for her to retire.

Chris was at home watching what was going on at Peter's house on cameras. Through the camera, he saw Peter in the kitchen with Derek having a snack and they seemed to be listening to music, as they both seemed to move at the same pace. Once in a while he would take Derek out to dance. They both laughed a lot.

The teenagers were once again in the cafeteria talking to each other, in their little VIP club, when the discussion broke out.

Scott, who disliked the idea of Peter still being single and continuing to have contact with his mother, supported the idea of trying to get Peter and Chris to talk. Isaac and Jackson, who now practically lived in Peter's house since he had finally accepted to be part of the pack, were horrified. Isaac thought the hunter was crazy, and Jackson couldn't help but agree; the two didn't think it was a good idea for him to be close to Derek, whether he was a biological father or not.

“Maybe it's not such a bad idea.” Stiles laughed “Chris Argent could be the authority figure that Derek needs, and that clearly is not Peter, since he lets the boy do everything he wants” he argued. Even Isaac looked thoughtful now. Peter was really not the least bit hard on him or Derek. He didn't have a lot of problems with that and he even liked freedom, but Derek took advantage and he feared what it would do for the future if the alpha grew up thinking that the world revolved around him.

"I agree." said Lydia, checking her flawless nails.

“How can you find a good idea? The guy is crazy!” Jackson was indignant “I can’t believe you’ll take his side” he completed sourly, indicating Stiles, who was on the other side of the table.

“How dramatic you are, Jackson.” the girl said, rolling her eyes, clearly bored “I'm just being practical. Derek now looks ten years old. Nothing prevents him from ordering a DNA test and proving that Derek is his son.” she said, making the others' eyes widen. They had not even considered such a possibility. “So it would be good for them to talk and come to an agreement before our favorite psychopath ends up without one of his kids.” she explained, as if they were three years old.

“And my father is not crazy.” defended Allison, earning disbelieving looks from the others. “My aunt and grandfather were crazy. My father is a good person.” she said, still not convincing anyone “I don’t deny that he is a little harsh, but he is a good father. And he really wants to meet the boy. I wouldn't mind having a younger brother at all.” she added, her face flushed.

“So, that’s settled! I'll come up with everything, don't worry. I’m gonna talk to Peter today and have him set up a meeting.”

“Already? So early? Isn't it better to wait a while?” Asked Isaac, somewhat distressed.

“Why?” The other's attitude caught the attention of Lydia and Stiles, who were looking at him with narrowed eyes.

“Maybe it's not a good time, that's all.” the curly-haired boy tried to leave at that. He felt a drop of sweat running down his forehead, he was a terrible liar and he knew it. So he tried to give Jackson significant looks, hoping that the other would help him.

“What?” Complained Jackson, irritated by Isaac's strange looks. He could see the other snort and pretend to be drawing. Then he got on and he went red as a pepper. “Oh” he opened his eyes wide when he finally understood the reason for the other's distress and couldn't help but blush too.

"Get it over with and tell us already, before I lose my temper." hissed Lydia, snarling with a forced smile on her face.

“It's not a big deal, he's just a little -” stammered Isaac. He couldn't find the words to express himself.

"Sick." Jackson helped, trying to sound solicitous and unconcerned.

“Yeah. What he said!” Isaac almost jumped on the table and hugged the other in thanks. “And so it is better to wait a few weeks.”

"They're lying." screeched Scott, with a small smile on his face, as he held the hand of his girlfriend, who was watching the two with an amused smile on his face.

Lydia shot Jackson a look.

“He's in heat, okay? There. I said it” Jackson vomited, not holding his girlfriend's gaze. Isaac looked at him as if he had been betrayed.

“What? I don't think I got it right.” said Stiles, shocked.

“That's what you heard. Peter is in heat and will stay for a couple of weeks. And anyway, he doesn't even intend to stay here. He said he would be gone for a few days.” he explained, his face burning and avoiding everyone's eyes.

There was a moment of silence that followed the revelation, which was only broken when Scott started laughing, almost falling off his chair. The boy laughed so hard that it caught the attention of almost everyone in the cafeteria.

“You're only laughing because you didn't have to go through the humiliating experience of participating in the illustrated werewolf mating and breeding class.” Isaac said sulkily, surprising Stiles.

“It was Derek's idea. He said he couldn't understand how someone could bleed for two weeks and not die. I'm sure he was making fun of us.” Jackson seemed to share Isaac's feelings.

Everyone at the table started laughing after Jackson's comment. And finally they began to plot how they would approach the two.

When Isaac came home with the other teenagers, he was surprised by the absurd cold inside. Without a second thought, he went straight to looking for air conditioning control. Finally he found it on the shelf.

"Don't turn it off, I'm melting." asked Peter in a weak voice.

Peter was lying on the sofa, his eyes half closed. Despite the cold, he was wearing a T-shirt and shorts. He seemed to be shaking and he was sweating a lot. Derek was sitting next to him, in a coat and cap. And even with all that clothes he looked cold.

"He looks awful. Are you sure he’s not dying?" says Jackson, worried about the older one. Peter only raised an eyebrow indicating that he had heard and groaned, but did not move.

“You don't look good at all.” Scott agrees “But you smell so good.” he commented to himself when he started to smell the air next to the other.

Lydia put her hand on Peter's forehead, pulling it out quickly. She looked alarmed.

"You're burning." she said. "You didn't say anything about him being that bad." accused Isaac and Jackson.

“He didn't mention anything about something like that.” Isaac defended himself.

"Perhaps it is something else." Jackson argued. Derek looked at him with wide eyes.

“So we better take him to my boss, he will surely know what to do.” said Scott trying to get Peter off the couch, who snarled and shrugged with his eyes shining blue.

The teenagers walked away, startled by the growl.

“Maybe we should call my dad. They are friends. I doubt he'll growl at him,” Stiles suggested “or at Melissa. She is a nurse, she will be able to help.” he looked hopefully at the others.

"Neither of you understands anything about werewolves." Derek said, irritated and for a second he remembered his adult self.

The boy was right. Lydia picked up the phone and handed it to Allison, who looked confused.

“Your father knows everything about werewolves. Call him and say it's an emergency.” explained the redhead.

It didn't take five minutes for Chris's wine Tahoe and several other cars to stop in front of Peter's house.

He went down armed to the teeth, along with other hunters. However, when he arrived in the room and saw Peter sweating and moaning, he released the others saying it was a false alarm.

As soon as the other hunters left, he crossed his arms and looked at his daughter.

“Was that the emergency?” He asked, with a raised eyebrow as he nodded at Peter.

“We didn't know what to do. When we got home from school he was like this already.” said Allison, nervous and shivering. “Scott even tried to get him out of there, but he started to growl and cringe.”

"He's burning up with a fever." said Lydia, butting into the conversation.

“Werewolves have a higher temperature than humans.” Chris dismisses her comment right away.

Stiles snorts and pushes the hunter, who has been caught off guard, and lays his hand on Peter. It works. Chris had an alarmed expression when he pulled his hand back.

"We can't call an ambulance and you know werewolves like nobody else." Jackson said grudgingly.

“Just tell us what we should do to make him better and he can go on his trip.” said Isaac, without much willingness. “He was just waiting for me to come home from school to be with Derek.” he explained when he saw the other's displeasure.

“Don’t be a fool. He's in no position to go anywhere like that.” said Chris, shaking his head as he looked at Peter's suitcase, which was near the door. “Since I'm here, I don't mind helping. I really wanted to talk to him for some time,” he said thoughtfully. “I just didn't expect it to be in those conditions. You can continue with your plans. I’ll take care of this.”

Only then did he notice that Derek was cloaked and shivering, as were the other teenagers.

“Irresponsible.” Chris cursed the werewolf who was still lying on the couch, but was looking out of the corner of his eye. “Can someone turn off this air conditioner and open the windows?” he ordered, making the teenagers run around the room.

He approached the couch and smiled at Derek and suggested that he change his clothes. When the boy went up the stairs leaving the werewolf's side, he approached the werewolf. He tried to get him to get up, but Peter growled again and avoided his hands. Realizing that any friendly attempt would be useless, he simply pulled Peter by the hip and threw it over his shoulders, as if it were a bag of potatoes.

When he turned, he noticed that everyone was looking at him in surprise. He frowned in response, the teenagers disguised it.

“Where is the bathroom?” He asked Scott, making him jump.

Scott was unable to answer verbally. Even if some time has passed, Chris Argent still gave him the creeps. So, he just limited himself to pointing the way.

“Now go. It can affect you.” he muttered, going to the bathroom.

They didn't move until they heard the shower start.


	12. It's not what it looks like

When Derek came home with Isaac and Jackson the next morning, as the other two had to go to school, he ran ahead as he got out of the car.

He missed his uncle. After all, it was the first day he had slept away from his uncle in the past few months. Not that he didn't like sleeping at Jackson's house. Jackson was a pack member now, he was family, but it wasn't the same. Peter was his uncle, and now his father, and he didn't look well the day before. For him, they wouldn't even have left his side, but no one took a ten-year-old child into consideration, no matter how much that child was actually twenty-three.

It was not long before the house was invaded by teenagers. It was a day to go with the Camaro, and that meant fighting to see who would drive.

Jackson, although he loved having his home included as a pack's territory, was also concerned about Peter. So when he came in he went out screaming for him. He only stopped when he saw that Derek was standing, staring at the kitchen. The boy's attitude was strange until he looked in the same direction.

Isaac came in soon after and was shocked by the scene.

“Why are you taking so long? We have a test today. The others are already waiting in the car, Jackson.” muttered Allison, looking in a hurry.

But she was silent when she witnessed the scene in front of her. Jackson finally recovered his body movement and covered Derek's eyes.

“Hey, can I drive today, right, Isaac?” Stiles asked, jumping into the house “Holy shit!” He exclaimed when he saw what everyone was staring at.

Chris Argent was in the kitchen, shirtless and wearing only jeans, holding a glass of water in one hand and a spatula in the other. He seemed to be preparing breakfast when they arrived.

Isaac's eyes flashed yellow and he snarled at the hunter, who took a step back, raising his hands in surrender. The curly-haired boy snorted and went up the stairs several steps.

Upon reaching the room, Isaac saw Peter sleeping peacefully. And he would have smiled any other day, but just thinking about what the two of them could have done in the bed where they all slept, blood went up to his head.

He threw open the windows, causing Peter to mumble covering his face. When he saw that the other had no intention of getting up, he shook him none too gently without removing the covers.

Peter woke up and was feeling terrible. He was still cold and someone pulled the covers off. He opened his eyes and saw that Isaac was looking at him strangely and that got him confused. He tried to move and comfort him, but his body ached and he couldn't contain a moan, and instinctively shrunk his whole body.

“Get up already. Your sweetheart is waiting for you downstairs with breakfast.” Isaac hissed, making his eyes widen “I think you have a lot to explain.” He snarled, leaving the room and slamming the door.

Peter sat on the bed, looking at the door without understanding anything. He shook his head and headed for the bathroom. He would need a shower to wake up and face troubled teenagers in the morning.

“Does this mean that you will live here?” Derek asked Chris who was still cooking, making him blush. “I won't have to call you dad, will I? Peter is my dad.” he continued, glaring at the hunter “Can I call you Mutley?” he suggested innocently. “You look like Mutley” he said, with an evil smile.

Chris ran his hands over his face, looking tired.

“You shouldn't be at school?” he tried to divert the attention of the teenagers, who were now all sitting at the counter.

"We want to know what's going on here." Jackson replied, glaring at the hunter.

“I'm not going to school anymore. I study at home.” commented Derek. “So if you come to live here, we will have plenty of time to talk.” he smiled “I love talking.” he laughed, making the teenagers look at him in astonishment.

Peter, who was coming down the stairs, went pale when he saw the hunter with his shirt off at ease in his kitchen in front of his children and the rest of the pack.

He must have stopped for a considerable time, because when he realized, Chris was laughing at him and everyone was staring at him.

“No, it was not a dream. It was me looking after you all night.” Chris teased, with a smirk. Peter had a horrified expression on his face. “I confess that it was funnier thirty years ago; you were a lot lighter. At least I got some good blackmail material.” Chris showed the cell phone to the teenagers with a video of Peter purring while Chris stroked his hair. “Who knew you were so sweet. It goes against the image of a psychopath that you try to sell.”

“So you didn't have sex?” Asked Allison bluntly.

Peter's expression of disgust was so great that even before he spoke, they already knew the answer.

“Ewwwwwwwwwwwwww” He finally spoke.

“Does this mean that you are not going to make me an honest person?” Asked the hunter, his hand on his chest, pretending to be offended. The teenagers relaxed a little, laughing.

"Fuck you." said Peter, also sitting by the bench, trying to stay as far away from the hunter as possible, which was impossible since the only vacant place was the closest to the hunter.

Unceremoniously, Chris pulled his face and found that his eyes had returned to their usual blue. Peter pulled his head away, snarling. He was not a helpless puppy, and they were not friends.

"Eat." ordered the hunter, placing a plate in front of him. Peter turned his face away, ignoring him. Chris rolled his eyes at the other's immature attitude. “Well, since you're here, I'm leaving. I'm dying on my feet.” he said, going to the sofa and taking his shirt that he had left there the day before. “Babysitting at my age is very exhausting.” he commented viciously. Peter held up both hands, making obscene gestures in response as he pulled on his shirt.

“We just came to leave Derek. We have a test today.” said Lydia.

"And we're already late." recalled Allison, making them get up.

Chris, who was already at the door, turned to the teenagers in disbelief.

“Forget school today. You will stay with him.” he said authoritatively, pointing at Peter.

“No need to miss school. Besides, I'm already better and I'm going to the Mansion to stay there for a few days.” said Peter, unconcerned, starting to take small bites from the plate that the other had left in front of him.

“You have to be kidding.” complained the hunter “Wanting to hide in a forest, without any neighbors or witness, while attracting the entire population of werewolves is asking not to walk the next day.” he argues rudely.

“How rude.” Peter took offense. He knew he was flushed. He could feel his cheeks on fire. He flinched when he felt something tickling his ear.

Isaac slapped Scott. The other was behaving strangely, and was very close to Peter, even playing with the older man's hair.

"That's what I mean." Chris said, pointing to Scott, who looked confused.

“That proves nothing. Scott is a freak.” Jackson retorts, making some laugh.

Chris consents thoughtfully. Scott looked offended.

“It's not a good idea for him to be alone.” he says, running his hands over his face.

"I'm going to be here with him." Derek said, hugging Peter.

Chris smiled when he saw the boy's affection for his uncle. At this point he and Laura were very similar.

“Can't you stay, Allison? Just while I get some rest.” he asked his daughter.

"I don't need a babysitter." complained Peter angrily. His eyes shone blue.

“That is why I asked so many times for us to talk.” the hunter says, returning to the bench. He rested both hands on the counter and projected his body forward. “You adopted my son legally, so you are responsible for him.” he started to speak in a restrained tone and increased his tone with each word he said. “I don't like that, Hale. But I don't have much of a choice, do I? Except make sure you take good care of him. And that includes keeping you safe, and to keep Derek safe, you need to be safe and responsible. And hiding in the middle of a forest for two weeks and leaving a child behind while you have a pack of alphas loose around the city is far from responsible.” he ended up screaming.

"How stressed you are." Peter replied, with absurd calm. Lydia put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Stiles could have sworn he saw a vein jump at the hunter's temple.

Peter saw the glow of Lydia's bracelet out of the corner of his eye and was totally distracted from the discussion.

“Do you still think he is well enough to be alone?” Chris asked the teenagers while pointing to Peter.

When no one answered, he shook his head and walked over to the werewolf, sighing. He put his hand on his forehead and felt that his temperature was rising again.

“Forget about school, okay? Just stay with him.” he said, leaving and giving them no chance to reply.

“He doesn’t look too good.” said Isaac. “You go, I'll stay here with him.”

"You can't miss it." complained Stiles.

“You can take the Camaro, if you want.” Isaac shrugged.

“Don’t be stupid. I have a car, I don't need yours to go to school.” grumbled Stiles “Yours is a lot nicer, of course. But my point is that today is Harris' test. And he hates us. We could leave him at home while we do the test. My dad is off duty and he's the sheriff. He'll be safe there.” suggested the boy, eager to leave.

"He's right." Lydia agreed nonchalantly, but Derek realized that she was trying to hide a smile.

Isaac seemed to be convinced. He raised Peter, who groaned in pain. He put the other's arm around his shoulders and helped him walk to the sheriff's house.

Once there, Derek rang the bell. And it didn't take long for John to open it.

"Good morning, Mr. Sheriff." said Derek, walking past John and storming the house without any modesty.

“What is wrong with him?” Asked John, alarmed by the state of his friend, who was following a bird that sang with his eyes.

“He’s just a little unwell. Do you mind taking a look at him for a few hours?” Asked Isaac, pushing Peter into his arms. Stiles was honking, calling him “Thanks, Mr. Stilinski” he thanked him, running and getting into the car.

As soon as the young man entered, Stiles took off. Jackson followed, doing the same.

John looked at Peter, who was hugging him around the waist and resting his head on his chest, and hugged him back. He didn't want to leave him.

“I'm tired, John. Can I sleep on your couch?” Asked the werewolf, looking at the sheriff. He noticed his long blinks. It seemed like an absurd effort for the other to stay awake.

"Sure," said John, taking his friend inside.


	13. Just a little push

Peter was sprawled on the sofa at the sheriff's house while Derek and John were sitting in the kitchen listening to him moan for the past hour. But when the moaning stopped the two started to get worried.

"Go there and see if he passed out." John said, looking at Derek.

"Why me? You go." Derek replied, crossing his arms.

“No, you go. He is your uncle!” John pushed the boy off the chair, making him lose his balance and fall to the floor.

"He's your friend." Derek said, getting up and kicking the older man's shin.

“But you know more about it than me.” John tried to appeal, the boy ignored and resumed his place at the table. He ran his hand over his shin, the brat had a strong kick.

“I'm just a kid!” Muttered Derek, rolling his eyes at the sheriff.

John sighed and stood up, heading for the sofa in the living room. When he turned around, Derek smirked.

The other seemed to be asleep. John couldn't help but think that even sprawled on the couch the other man could be sexy. Embarrassed, he started poking the other with his foot.

“Are you alive?” He asked, trying not to get too close.

He changed his mind when he got no answer. He then approached his friend, and smelled a gentle scent from Peter.

Peter opened his eyes and rubbed his face. He got up and looked better. But from sweating, his clothes were stuck to his body.

“Do you mind if I take a shower?” Peter asked, seeing his status “John?” he called, when the other continued looking at his body and did not answer.

“What?” Replied the sheriff eloquently. Peter smiled.

“Can I take a shower?” he asked again, raising his eyebrows.

"Ah, sure." John said finally, blinking and shaking his head.

They went up the stairs to the upstairs bathroom. John fixed his eyes on Peter's body for a few seconds again, before walking off towards his room. He returned quickly with a fluffy towel, soap and a change of clean clothes. Peter looked at the clothes, not understanding.

“Yours are too sweaty. You can borrow mine, if you like.” explained John, with his hand on the back of his neck. Peter looked a little embarrassed, but he accepted and locked himself in the bathroom.

John went back to the kitchen, he needed coffee.

“Can I watch tv?” Derek asked, yawning.

"Sure." John replied, automatically.

The boy was quick to run to the living room, throwing himself on the sofa while putting on some cartoons. Within minutes, John could hear the snoring of the boy who was sleeping in an absurd position, tangled with pillows and the sofa bedspread.

When Peter came down after the shower, he looked for Derek and saw that the boy was sleeping. He covered the boy and went to sit in the kitchen with John.

"Thanks for the clothes, and sorry for all the work." said Peter. He looked embarrassed and avoided looking at his friend.

John poured him a cup of coffee, and he couldn't help stroking the other's face with his fingertips. Peter was startled by the unexpected contact and broke the cup he was holding, cutting off his hand.

"Damn." he cursed, breaking the mood. "I'm sorry." he said, totally embarrassed, getting up to clean the mess he did.

John started to help, but stopped when he saw the huge cut in the other's hand.

"You got hurt." he said in alarm, pulling the other to the sink, where he started to wash the wound that was bleeding profusely.

“Is nothing. Soon it’ll heal.” said Peter. Within seconds, there was no sign of the cut.

John dried Peter's hand, then caressed it. He felt the perfume coming from Peter again, it was stronger than before. He brought one hand up to his face, stroking it too. He smiled when he saw Peter close his eyes and lean his head against his hand, clearly enjoying the affection. The scent of the perfume increased.

He ran his fingers over Peter's lips, taking a deep breath. And he slowly approached Peter's face. Peter met him on the way.

At first it was sweet and slow, but soon the kiss became urgent. And then John lifted the youngest by the hip, sitting him on the counter in front of him. Peter wasted no time and tied his legs around the other.

But when he realized that John was trying to remove his shorts and felt the other's erection against his, he pushed John and got off the counter. He took a deep breath as he straightened his clothes and avoided looking at the older man, who didn't understand anything.

“It is not a good idea for us to do that. You don't know what you're doing and you're just reacting to heat.” he said walking away towards the other room, making the other laugh.

“Stop fooling yourself. We've spent the last few months surrounding each other.” said John, approaching the other again.

“John, Derek is right there. We can't do that here.” he looked distressed, pointing to the sofa where the child was. John ignored his protests and pulled him by the hip, keeping him close to him.

“He is in the ninth sleep. I don't think he’s going to wake up anytime soon.” John commented, pointing at the boy who snored loudly, totally unaware of the world. He smiled and took the younger man's hand, guiding him to his room.

As soon as they entered, John threw Peter against the door, trapping the other's body with his, while his teeth attacked the other's neck and his hands the rest of the body. But he stopped when he noticed that the other was shaking and did not seem to respond as willingly when downstairs.

“What's the problem?” He asked, trying to see the eyes of the other who avoided him.

"Too fast." he replied in a low voice, making John walk away and smile at the other, calming him.

He pulled the other, holding his hand and they both lay on the bed. And began to caress the face of the youngest, who closed his eyes, relaxing with comfort and affection.

Only then did he start kissing him again. Chaste, sweet kisses. And Peter seemed to like the change in attitude, as he was quick to respond. The pace only increased when he felt the younger man's tongue calling for passage. And soon a battle was fought, and John was the winner. Peter was totally in the mood, enjoying and moaning softly every time John kissed and nibbled on his neck.

Soon their shirts were thrown away. Peter had his arms around John's neck, holding the back of his neck as he kissed him deeply. Without realizing it, he passed a leg over John's legs, since the two were lying facing each other. John didn't think twice about lowering his hands to the buttocks of the other, making him arch his back as he moaned away a little before kissing again, scratching his back in retaliation, causing John to groan in response.

John put his hands on the other's hips, and finally took the courage to stroke the younger man's erection, who gave a loud groan, unconsciously looking for more of that friction. Peter wasted no time and without shame, he lowered the other's pants and underwear, releasing his erection and started stocking it, while kissing him tenderly.

John knew he couldn't take much longer, and he took off the younger's shorts, stroking his erection with more impetus. Peter was red and looked out of breath.

He decided to change positions and lay on top of the youngest, placing himself between his legs, rubbing one erection on the other. He looked at the other and was delighted by the sight.

It was his first time with someone of the same sex, and he would make the most of it and be careful not to hurt the other. He lifted Peter's legs, and began to stroke his erection with slow, strong movements. Peter moaned and squirmed. He leaned over the other, and started kissing him while still stimulating him. Peter kissed him lost in the midst of the sensations.

He lifted the younger man's leg further, and began to explore with his free hand, trying to figure out what drove the other crazy. It was then that he felt something strange right after the other's testicles. There was a hole, but not what he expected. The youngest seemed to not notice anything different, and he continued to explore. He grabbed the other's buttocks, and slid his hand, finding the hole he expected small and tight. So what the hell was that other one up ahead?

The other seemed to notice when he stopped and looked strange trying to know what had happened.

“What's the problem?” He asked fearfully. He thought that the eldest had doubts about what they were doing.

John responded by sliding two fingers into the strange hole, making Peter roll his eyes in pleasure. He started to stimulate the place with quick movements. He noticed that, unlike the other, this one seemed to have its own lubrication.

"No problem at all." he replied with a naughty smile.

He positioned himself between her legs again, switching places with his fingers. Peter felt the glans of his penis enter and pushed, taking a deep breath and putting distance.

“No, we can’t. Not like that.” he said resolutely.

John thought he was kidding and tried to reach out again.

“No. Without protection we will not do anything else.” Peter pushed him away again.

That was when he connected the dots and John gave him a sad face. Peter closed his legs, affirming his point, with a little smile. John laughed and bent down to kiss him.

"You will regret it when I get back." he whispered in the younger man's ear.

"Promises, promises." laughed Peter, covering himself with the sheet.

John went to look in his wallet and found nothing. He looked at the bed and noticed that Peter was starting to blink slowly and snuggled up on the pillows. Sighing, he decided to search the bathroom. It had been so many years since he had done anything like that that he didn't even think about buying condoms. Finally, he found one that seemed to have seen better days. It was out of date as well.

“Do these things spoil after the expiration date?” He thought, analyzing the package. Two months out of date was not such a long time.

He looked back at Peter, who seemed to have fallen asleep and sighed despondently. Until Peter turned on his side, taking the sheet with him, leaving the back of his body uncovered. John couldn't help running his gaze over the other's body admiring him, and felt his body respond when he looked at his buttocks and thought about what he would do with them. Seeing the immediate effect on his body, he opened the package and put on the condom.

He quickly ran to the bed, snuggling up behind Peter, who woke up with the movement, feeling the other's erection poking him from behind. He turned when John started kissing his neck, and started kissing John too, who took his place on top of the youngest.

John lifted the other's legs, pushing his penis slowly into the other, where his fingers had been minutes before, while bending down and kissing him. He watched the other's expression for any discomfort, but he looked fine. Then he picked up the pace. He stood up, leaning on one arm, while stimulating Peter's member with the other hand, without stopping the thrusts. He didn't even need to see Peter's body arching on the bed with his eyes closed and his mouth open to know that the other was loving it, the heat he felt and the walls that tightened around his member already gave him away.

"This way I’m gonna c-" Peter started to say, but he couldn't finish.

He gave a loud groan when his body shook. He pulled John by the shoulders, sticking their bodies together; his body was still shaking violently. Lost in sensation, he nibbled on the older man's mouth, his face, and sniffed and rubbed his face on his neck. Finally, he bit down hard on the neck and shoulder. John could barely control himself with all those sensations and that intoxicating perfume that came from the other.

“Mine.” Peter said in a hoarse voice in the other's ear.

It was enough for him to lose control. He disengaged himself from Peter, and turned him around without much kindness, leaving him on his knees and with his back to him. Their bodies were close and his chest touched the other's back. For a brief moment Peter looked a little frightened when John grabbed him by the neck with one hand, while the other held his hip tight.

John kissed and bit the neck of the youngest, who relaxed. Then John pushed his chest forward while holding his hips. He moved away a little to admire the sight of the other in front of him with his face almost against the bed and his rear raised. He couldn't help himself and gave a loud slap, startling Peter, who grimaced in pain and looked back, staring at him. He gave the other a dirty smile and stroked the part that turned red and sensitive. Then he slapped the same spot again, and Peter lifted his head arching his back in reflex. John then gripped the younger boy's hips tightly and pushed in as deep as he could. John held the other's back, preventing him from lifting his torso, while increasing the pace of the thrusts. He clutched the other's buttocks when he felt the walls contract around him again. When the heat seemed unbearable, he increased his pace and strength and let Peter get up enough for him to hold his hair tightly, pulling his head none too gently. Peter's moans increased in volume and his body shook again when he reached his second orgasm. The contractions caused John to get there almost at the same time.

Without John holding him, and without strength, Peter fell on the bed. John fell on him. He even did some thrusts, making him groan with torture. He stroked the other's body, outlining the muscles with his fingers, making him shiver. And then he started kissing Peter's neck, nibbling, until he found the side of his neck.

He smelled so good that he couldn't help but sniff at the youngest's neck, making him shiver. When Peter moved, he trapped the other with his body. And he sank his teeth into the neck and shoulder. The youngest seemed to relax after that. John only released the bite when the other was still. He didn't know why he had done that. And he felt guilty when he saw the horrible mark he left on the other's neck.

“I hurt you. I'm sorry.” he said to the other, as he lay down beside him, referring to the bite “I don't know what I was thinking” he apologized, embarrassed.

Peter turned and looked at him with a smile.

"It matches the one I gave you." he commented, with a smile, as he snuggled into the other. John hugged him until he remembered a detail.

“I'll be right back.” he got up and ran to the bathroom.

He took off the condom and tied a knot. But he thought it looked a little strange, a little too empty. He heard a noise at the bathroom door and quickly grabbed a piece of toilet paper and wrapped it up, then threw it in the trash. He felt someone hugging him from behind, resting his face on his back.

"Shower?" Suggested Peter.

“Food after?” He suggested in reply, looking at the other who agreed.

The two got into the shower. When John was almost done, he turned around and didn't see Peter. Hence he realized that the other was on his knees in front of him looking at him innocently. Or as innocent as anyone can look with a penis in their mouth.

Due to previous activities, and sensitivity, John did not last long and soon came. Peter only released it after swallowing the last drop.

Right after the bath they went down and went to warm up their lunch. Derek was already awake and looking at the two with a little smile. They have lunch exchanging smiles all the time.

“I have to go out for a bit, but I'll be right back, ok?” Said John, after eating.

"No problem." said Peter, smiling.

When John left, Peter and Derek did the dishes and tidied up the kitchen. Then they went to watch cartoons.

"Does that mean we can keep the sheriff now?" Derek asked, looking at his uncle with a small smile on his face.

"I'm thinking about it." Peter replied, laughing as he hit a pillow on his nephew's face.

The pillow hit him right in the face, since the boy didn't expect it and soon the two started a pillow fight in the room. Derek didn't mind that he was shamefully losing, he hadn't seen such a big smile on his uncle in ages. Peter looked happy.


	14. Your words are like poison

When Stiles arrived with the other teenagers at school, he was surprised that Derek was alone napping on the couch. He went up the stairs calling for his father and was surprised when he received no answer. His father never ignored him. He walked to the bedroom door, and realized why the other had not answered, the door was closed.

Shaking his head, he walked in without knocking and found his father and Peter in bed. And despite not being able to see the two of them naked, as they were covered with the sheet, it was clear what they were both doing for Peter's movements and moans and for his father's wheezing. He couldn't say anything and stood still with his hand on the doorknob and his eyes wide.

John had Peter pinned to the bed with his legs around his waist, and the two were moving at a slow, strong pace. They were holding hands and kissing. They were fighting an absurd battle of tongues that only stopped for them to breathe. Peter turned his face to the side, trying to catch his breath, and John took the opportunity to bite his neck, making him moan loudly and open his eyes. That was when he noticed a horrified Stiles standing at the door.

“John!” He shouted in alarm.

He then tried to cringe, turning his face away. John, seeing his reaction, started to laugh.

“A little late to be shy, don't you think?” John said, with an amused smile on his face.

“That's not it!” Peter looked at him, angry. “Your son is at the door!” he explained trying to get rid of the other.

John looked at the door in fright and saw that not only Stiles was there, but Isaac and Jackson as well. For a minute there was no reaction.

"It's not what it looks like." he finally said, denying everything.

Isaac raised an eyebrow in reply.

“Well, maybe that's exactly what it looks like.” he nodded, shaking his head and looking away from the teenagers.

"We're going downstairs." Jackson said, dragging the other two into the hall, when he noticed their embarrassment. Peter had even hidden under the sheet.

After they heard the teenagers coming down the stairs, John removed the sheet from the other's face and saw that it looked like a tomato.

“So, where did we stop?” He asked with a naughty smile.

“You can’t be serious!” Peter looked at him in astonishment.

"It didn't hurt to try." he laughed, shrugging.

He winked as he stepped off the top and slapped his thigh before running out to the bathroom.

“Good luck with your cold bath because I'm going to use all the hot water.” he said, locking himself in the bathroom.

Inside, he could hear the other complaining "It's not fair!".

The teenagers were sitting at the table.

“My eyes! My eyes! Get my eyes out.” muttered Stiles, scratching his eyes.

“Calm down. Maybe it's not even what we're thinking. Maybe it's just like with the hunter this morning.” Isaac tried to cheer him up, but he didn't even believe what he was saying.

"Bullshit, they were definitely having sex." Jackson commented nonchalantly.

Lydia glared at him, and slapped him on the arm when Stiles made a pained face and hit his forehead on the table. Derek laughed.

"Every son is bound to find his parents doing this, at least once in his life." said Isaac, demonstrating that it was nothing out of the ordinary.

“Everyone finds their father with their friends’ father in bed?” Asked Derek curiously.

Stiles raised his head and glared at the boy.

"Talking like that sounds kind of funny." admitted Isaac, laughing.

Scott and Allison, who were making out on the couch, were forced to stop what they were doing when Allison's phone started to ring desperately.

She looked at the identifier and saw that it was the father. She gave her boyfriend a sad smile and got up to answer it.

“Where the hell are you? Your cars are here, but there is no one in the house.” Chris shouted hysterically on the other end of the line “Is that irresponsible with you? Did something happen?”.

“Calm down, dad. It's all right. We are here across the street. We just left the cars parked there. We left the sheriff looking after Peter.” she explained to her father.

"I would say that he did more than that." Scott commented, laughing, when he saw the sheriff come down the stairs with a smile from one ear to ear.

Chris hung up on his daughter, who didn't understand anything.

The sheriff dragged Peter down who seemed to want to be anywhere but there. He was clearly embarrassed and avoided looking anyone in the eye.

Before anyone could say anything, Chris Argent kicked the door open, and didn't hesitate for a second to go after Peter.

“You can't follow a simple order, you brat! You just had to stay inside and wait until I got back.” the hunter roared, shaking the werewolf while holding him by the arms.

Peter seemed startled by the other's reaction and didn't even try to let go. His head went back and forth with the force with which the other shook him.

Chris only stopped when he felt the barrel of a gun in his head.

“Who do you think you are to invade my home, Argent? If you are so excited, I suggest relaxing at the police station.” said John, pulling him away from the youngest.

As he put more distance between the other two, John placed himself in front of Peter, who shrank tremendously. Chris noticed their stance and the fact that the gun was always pointed in his direction. When he tried to look Peter in the eye, the other couldn't stand it and turned his face away, and then the hunter could see a piece of the mark that the sheriff had left on his neck.

“You can't keep your legs closed, can you?” Chris laughed, shaking his head.

Peter's eyes met his and he looked sad to hear that and for a brief moment Chris felt bad. He shook his head and walked away, ignoring everyone else present.

John went after him, holding him by the arm when the other was already on the sidewalk.

"You can try to explain what you said in there." demanded John authoritatively. Chris laughed.

“I don't care anymore. He's your problem now.” said the other aggressively. “I’m done babysitting him and fixing all the crap that this brat makes and gets involved. “ the hunter roared.

“What do you mean?” John asked. Chris laughed.

“I've known this brat since before he learned to walk!” exclaimed Chris, and John finally realized who the voice he had found was familiar on the tape of the Hale home movies “Do you have any idea how many times me or his sister took him out of situations like this? I bet you don’t. But I assure you that there were not few. Have you ever taken the trouble to check his criminal record?” the hunter saw that the other looked a little uncomfortable, but nodded.

John had researched and found that nothing was on the record. However, there was a youth record, the contents of which were protected by law and he had no access to. Chris was surprised by the attitude. “I’m not the first one you ask about him.” he commented, narrowing his eyes. John nodded. "It is always easier to imagine a plot against someone than to believe that that person doesn’t worth shit." he said mockingly.

When he saw that John was thoughtful, Chris decided to give the mercy shot.

“Maybe I'm wrong. After all, you seem to be in that relationship or whatever you have been in for a while.” he said looking at the door where Peter was looking devastated. “I apologize for the door. Send me the bill later.” he asked, crossing the street towards his wine Tahoe and leaving.

John watched the other walk away and saw a figure out of the corner of his eye. When he turned, he saw that Peter had passed him. He realized that the other man avoided looking at him and seemed to dry his face. He even tried to call the other, who just lowered his head and hurried his pace, returning to his home.

When he entered the house again, John noticed that all the teenagers were looking at him reproachfully.

Derek ran past him, not caring if he bumped him on the way out or not. Lydia followed, with Jackson who made a point of shooting him a dirty look.

"Stay away from him." growled Isaac, with yellow eyes, as he left last.

Only Allison, Stiles and Scott remained.

John looked at the door without understanding anything.

"All the werewolves heard what you and my dad talked about, and passed on to us." Allison explained when she saw the sheriff's confused expression.

"Anyone knows that I'm not a fan of Peter, but I felt sorry for him when I heard his reaction to what you said." admitted Scott.

“What reaction?” Asked John.

“Are you blind or what?” Stiles was angry with his father.

John seemed surprised by his son's tone.

"You broke the guy's heart." Stiles said, pointing to the house across the street.

John seemed to want to argue.

"I could hear it." Scott murmured ruefully.

The three looked at him in astonishment, because they knew that he did not die of love for the werewolf.

Scott noticed that he spoke aloud and was embarrassed.

“I better go there.” he said to Allison, without taking his eyes off the house across the street “They need me there.” he didn't wait for her to answer and ran across the street and entered the house.

“I think I better go too. But tomorrow I'll be back to go to school together, as usual, okay?” She said to Stiles, who agreed.

He then closed the door as best he could, since the lock was broken and secured the door with a chair behind it. The next day he would call a locksmith.

He saw that his father was still looking at the house through a window, thoughtful.

"Maybe I should go and talk to him." said John, putting his hand on the window.

"Do that if you want to be shattered piece by piece by angry werewolves." Stiles said casually.

John looked at him in surprise. Stiles shrugged.

“You messed with their father, what were you expecting?” he explained when going to the kitchen.

He started fiddling with the kitchen and noticed that most of the things on the counter were out of place.

“You didn't do anything in the kitchen, did you?” He asked his father, his eyes narrowed.

He saw that his father was a little embarrassed.

“Ewwwwwwwwww.” he screamed and ran to put on gloves and started to disinfect everything.


	15. I still think you were an asshole

A few days have passed since the last time John saw Peter.

Isaac and Derek didn't leave their father's side for anything. Stiles and Jackson were already worried about Isaac's excessive absences, who hadn't been in school for three days.

All the other teenagers always went straight to Peter's house after school, they were worried about the older one who looked extremely discouraged and had no appetite.

Chris watched on camera, watching Peter languish without the other's presence. He shook his head, thinking that it would have been avoided if he had simply followed his advice, but the werewolf was hopeless.

John tried several times to talk to Peter, but he was always rejected by Isaac or Jackson, who seemed more fierce and determined to keep him away from Peter than the others.

Finally on the fourth day, Stiles and Scott managed to convince Isaac to go to school, and John had his chance.

He went to Peter's house in the middle of the morning, when he was sure that only he and Derek would be there. When he reached the door, he took a deep breath and knocked. It didn't take long for Derek to answer.

The ten-year-old boy looked at him with a closed expression.

“Why took you so long? He's lying up there.” he muttered as he made his way over to John.

The sheriff was surprised that he was sleeping at that hour.

He hurried up the stairs, skipping a few steps and knocking on the bedroom door. He decided to enter when he heard no answer. There, curled up on the bed, was Peter, sleeping.

“Peter.” he called the other as he approached the bed, caressing his shoulder.

"Sleeping." he replied, without moving.

John chuckled weakly as he sat on the edge of the bed.

“And you speak in your sleep?” he joked, running his hands through the other's hair. He missed the contact.

He was startled when two bright red eyes stared at him for a few seconds and then returned to the usual blue.

“I would take your hands off me as soon as possible, sheriff. You wouldn't like to lose them, would you?” She glared at him, before closing her eyes again and relaxing.

“Laura ?!” John acknowledged, pulling his hand.

"As sharp as ever." she mumbled, looking briefly.

“What is the problem? Why do your eyes look like his?” He asked worriedly.

“What is wrong?!” she was amazed. With difficulty she turned, raising her torso slightly, propping herself up on his elbows “You are the fucking problem!”

"He ran out that day and didn't let me explain." said John, defending himself.

“I asked you to take care of him because you cared for him. I told you about Argent. What part of it didn’t you understand?” She snorted and her eyes flashed red before returning to normal. She fell on the bed. She looked exhausted and took a deep breath.

John felt guilty. He helped her lie better on the bed. She grunted every time he touched her.

“Why don't you just go? You’re not helping, sheriff.” she suggested, snuggling on the pillow trying to relax.

"I want to talk to him, not you." John replied, crossing his arms resolutely. "Then tell him to stop hiding."

“He doesn't want to talk to you. And he is not hiding. He's resting because he's weak, which makes me weak too.” she explained. “Your luck.” she looked at him angrily.

“My luck? He did not understand.

"If his body wasn’t so weak, I would have already ripped your throat out with my teeth, stupid human." she snarled at him.

“Don't you think you're exaggerating a little?” he got angry.

“He almost does not sleep, does not eat, has no mood for anything. Do you still think I’m exaggerating?” she asks when closing her eyes “He trusted you.”

He knew she was telling the truth and he felt terrible for not being able to show everything he felt.

"Then let me explain." he began.

“Explain what?” she interrupted him, irritated “How were you fascinated by him and didn't miss the opportunity to take the chance when it introduced itself? How come you never really thought much of him? How did you spend months digging through his life when in fact the only thing you had to do was ask him directly? How did you pretend to care?” She said, altered, looking at him. “He is not a whore you can use to take and then throw it away. I won't let you play with his feelings. Go get another one to fuck, sheriff.”

He saw red when he heard her words and without realizing he got up from the bed, responding in a high tone as he pointed at her.

“I talked to several people about his past, I looked for a criminal record, I saw that it is clean, but that there are records of when he was a minor. And do you know why? Because he’s a puzzle and the pieces don’t fit.” he said, altered “Everything I heard from you as well as others does not match what I see. You all lied.” said John, a little more calmly.

“You were testing me. Did you really think I wouldn't do the same to you?” She admitted, looking with a smirk.

“Did you really think I wouldn't notice? This is my job. I know you lied and omitted facts. Just like everyone else.” he declared, running a hand through his hair, looking tired “But I know Peter didn't lie.” he murmured “But I think there are things that not even he knows.” he said, looking at her.

"I still think you were an asshole." she said, rolling her eyes with a bored expression.

“And I think you're an annoying talking cricket.” he replied, making her raise an eyebrow and laugh “I care about him very much. So I won't rest until I find all the answers I'm looking for.” he said, looking at her seriously.

“If you find something you don't like, you will discard him without a second thought.” she predicted, humming, making him snort.

“I care about him. Very much. And I don't want to get away from him.” he snapped. “These past few days have been a horror. I missed hearing his voice, his silly jokes, even the horrible videos he likes on Youtube. I would have gone after him as soon as he left my house. But my son thought I would be torn apart by angry werewolves.”

"Your son is smarter than you." she commented nonchalantly.

“They had no right to keep him away from me. Three days until I could get close.” he complained, gesturing.

"Natural instinct for any puppy." she explained calmly.

"He's mine." he snapped, staring at her.

“He's not an object, sheriff. Don't refer to him as such.” she said, her eyes narrowed.

This seemed to calm him down a little.

“That's not it. He is mine, just as I am his.” he tried to explain “After that day it is as if a piece of me was walking around loose.” he continued, sitting on the corner of the bed again “And I don't like it.” he said in a low voice, holding his head in his hands.

Peter sat on the bed and watched the other in front of him. Unconsciously, he raised his hand, lightly touching his fingers on the other's arm.

"Me neither." Peter replied in a weak voice, making him turn.

He pulled his hand back and looked down when the other stared at him.

John smiled, stroking his face. Peter took a deep breath, enjoying the caress.

"I thought you were sleeping." John said, lifting his face gently.

“You speak too loudly.” he replied, with a sad smile.

“So you heard everything we said?” Asked the older one, approaching the other and bringing him closer.

"I heard enough." Peter replied, letting himself be hugged.

And when he felt the youngest next to him, all the anguish he had felt in the past few days disappeared. He felt whole again.


	16. The beginning of the end

When Isaac and the other teenagers arrived from school, they were surprised to see Peter and John together, sitting on the couch watching television. John was hugging the youngest by the shoulders, while Peter was curled up next to him with his head resting on his chest. Derek was also sitting with them, but he was on the floor, leaning against Peter and the sheriff's legs.

Isaac looked into the kitchen and saw countless dirty dishes in the sink and leftover packaging in the trash. He only woke up when Peter called him.

“How was school today?” Asked Peter, looking at Isaac.

Isaac looked at him and smiled. He looked better and calm.

“Normal.” replied, placing the backpack on the counter. The others seemed to be waiting for his reaction. "You look better today." he said, looking neutrally at the sheriff.

"I am." agreed Peter, his face flushed.

"Cool." Isaac shrugged and threw himself on the sofa, putting his head in Peter's lap, who smiled and started playing with his curls.

Only then did the others start throwing backpacks around the room and went to snuggle close to the others. Jackson held a notebook.

“Do you mean that all this was for nothing?” Asked Jackson, who sat in the corner and put Isaac's legs on his lap, showing Isaac a notebook with a list.

“Yeap." Isaac replied, after taking a quick look at the sheet.

“What the fuck. Three days of work thrown in the trash." he complained, throwing the notebook on the floor.

Stiles was close and couldn't help but take a peek at the notebook that fell open on the floor.

" ‘Ten ways to kill the sheriff and never get caught’ " read Stiles, pulling out the list "What the fuck is that? Is that what you were doing all these days?" Stiles was indignant, getting up and going over Jackson.

“You helped." replied Jackson, not caring about his tone. " ’No. 9 - Rape by tentacles - the terror of the bottom of the sea’ was your idea." he said, making everyone present look at him.

Stiles felt his face burning with shame.

"I didn't know you were talking about my father." he tried to defend himself.

"So this is an acceptable death for anyone else?” Asked Lydia, who was sitting next to Derek.

"Get treated yourself and get out of the front of the TV." Jackson said, pushing Stiles back to the floor.

And so, all the malaise that hung between them ceased to exist.

Distracted by their new relationship, Peter and John forgot that the heat period extended for a few more days, and went back to their normal routines.

John tried to spend most of his free time sharing his attention with his son and Peter, some more intimate moments between the two were a little rare due to the constant presence of teenagers around Peter.

To get around this, John invited Peter to dinner at his house. But no frozen food or delivery. They would try to do everything themselves, enjoying each other's company. For that, they agreed on the menu, and John made it clear that if any teenager even approached the house, he would sleep at the police station.

As he spent a good part of the day at the service, Peter offered to buy everything he needed together with Derek, since he would have to go to the supermarket anyway.

After lunch he dragged Derek, who despite not being so skittish anymore, was still averse to having his cheeks pressed by his mother's friends.

They already had almost all the items on the list that John had delivered to the cart when Derek started snarling beside Peter.

He found Derek's behavior strange, but before he could say anything, Derek ran out and threw himself against a man's legs, attacking him tooth and nail. His wild behavior was drawing the attention of everyone around him. Peter quickly ran, apologizing for the boy's behavior. However, when he raised his face to face the man, Peter froze.

Watching Derek was Deucalion, with an amused expression on his face.

"Well, well, if it's not the Hales." said Deucalion, with a forced smile at Peter. "How long, Peter."

“Deucalion." he recognized the blind alpha. He quickly pulled Derek towards him, away from the alpha.

"You seem surprised to see us here." he commented, tilting his head to the side.

That was when Peter looked around and realized that they were surrounded by the other alphas.

Peter's heart raced and the fact did not go unnoticed by others.

"He's just a puppy." he argued, hugging Derek, who looked scared. "We are no threat to you." he added, following the movements of Ennis, who surrounded them.

"He looks like a lioness defending the cub." Kali commented, laughing contemptuously.

"Behave yourself, Kali." Deucalion ordered, with a smile. "Thalia has always been our ally, and I hope we can continue to be one." he said, surprising Peter, who nodded.

Peter waited for the three alphas to move away before returning to the cart with their purchases. Derek did not release his hand until they reached the cashier. The two went shopping and packed everything as quickly as possible and went to the car.

After loading the car, the two started to go around and around the city at random. Peter had a feeling they were being followed for a long time.

He decided to go to the police station. He parked the Tahoe in the front and got in with Derek at his side.

He headed for the reception, but before he could arrive he was intercepted by a tall man.

“Peter?" The man asked "Long time no see." He smirked, touching the shoulder of the other.

"Do I know you?” Asked Peter, turning away from the policeman, looking at him strangely.

"I don't believe you don't remember me. I certainly remember you from school." replied the man, while Derek disengaged himself from Peter and ran into the police station "Adam Smith?" he tried again.

It took a few seconds for Peter to recognize him.

“Adelia’s brother?" Confirmed Peter, narrowing his eyes, while the other agreed smiling "I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you before. You're different.” he said blandly. He would never recognize the other. They hadn't seen each other for at least fifteen years. And as far as he remembered, except when they ran into each other when Peter went to study with Adelia, who was in his class, he never even exchanged a word with the other. They weren't even from the same year.

"You haven't changed much." he praised, blinking "So, what do you think about going out tonight and catching up, among other things?" he invited, approaching the youngest suggestively.

Before he could answer Derek returned, pulling the sheriff by the hand.

"What a surprise." said John, pulling Peter into a hug. He felt the younger one relaxing with his contact. "Did I interrupt something?” He asked when he saw the other tense policeman.

"He was asking me out." Peter replied before the other man could come up with any excuse, causing Adam to open and close his mouth in shock.

John, when he heard the answer, pulled Peter to his side by wrapping an arm around his waist.

"Is that true, Officer Smith?" He asked, his expression closed. Derek hid a giggle with his hand as he watched the scene.

"I didn't know you guys -" he pointed to the two and gestured.

"That were we together?" John completed solicitously. Adam nodded "Now you do." he said, looking at him ugly. "He won't be able to accept your invitation, Smith. Not today, not ever." Adam agreed frantically "And you're still here." John commented with an amused smile on his face, making the other cop apologize and hurry out, leaving the three.

"He's fast," Derek said, surprised, "for a human," he added thoughtfully.

He hurried out and did not notice that someone was in front of him until they ran into each other.

"Watch out, Adam." complained Sandra, another police officer brought in after the massacre of Matt and the Kanima to reinforce the staff of the police station.

"I think I ended up with any chance of promotion in this life and the next." he muttered.

He told her what had happened a little while ago.

"So this is that Peter, who you mentioned once?" she asked, in a gossip tone, trying to spy on him and the sheriff "The way you spoke I imagined someone totally different. But until he is cute." she praised in a low voice to him.

"Cute and ordinary." he mumbled, entering and going towards the coffee machine. That promised to be one of those days.

John noticed that the other was glued to him, he didn't seem to want to leave. Derek looked relaxed and was throwing pebbles at the lake next to the police station. Both could see him clearly from where they were.

"Did something happen?” He asked, embracing the youngest. Peter sighed and buried his face in his neck, nodding.

And he told of his encounter with the pack of alphas and the feeling of being followed.

"Do you still have the feeling that they are following you? Can you feel them close?” Asked John, looking him in the eye.

Peter seemed to concentrate on the noises around him.

"No, I don't feel anything." he replied at last.

"I think you were just impressed." comforted the other.

"Can't you leave early?" he insisted, looking at John.

"I'm full of work here. But why don't you go ahead? I will try to be as quick as I can be, and try to arrive earlier. Okay?”

Seeing that he hadn’t a choice in the matter, Peter consented. He said goodbye to John and went home with Derek.

When they arrived, Derek started getting ready, distracting and relaxing his uncle while the two put their purchases in the cupboards.

Chris watched the two of them through the cameras at his home. He zoomed the screen when he saw a figure passing by in another environment.

He saw Peter and Derek looking towards the hall at the same time. Derek seemed to be hiding behind his uncle. Chris took his gun and reached for a crossbow that was on a nearby shelf and continued to watch.

Peter motioned for Derek not to make a noise and pointed to the front door. Derek shook his head and held his hand. The other looked irritated and made the same sign as before and then pointed at his own hair, curling a strand as if it were a curl. Derek ducked his head and nodded.

The werewolf pulled the smaller one into a hug and gave him a kiss on the forehead. When they separated, he showed him three fingers. And like counting down each one of them, and together when lowering the last finger, each one ran to one side.

Chris sighed with relief when he saw that Derek had followed what the other commanded and managed to escape. He leaned back in his chair and continued to watch the scene unfold.

As soon as he saw Derek get up and run for the door, Peter ran into the hall, intercepting the invader. He tried to attack him with his claws, but the other one was faster and caught him by the neck before he could even get close to his goal.

"I don't believe it." grumbled Chris when he saw the invader pinning Peter to the wall of the house and tearing his clothes.

He was about to leave the room when he noticed that the youngest was struggling, and for a few moments he managed to free himself from the other, running for the stairs. The other, who was already half transformed, pulled him back by the foot making him hit his head on the steps and breaking the railing of the stairs with the impact. Chris zoomed in when he saw blood and swore.

He took out his cell phone and called the police.

Peter felt the impact against his head and was stunned. When he opened his eyes, a fist was the last thing he saw before everything went black.


	17. Full house

The teenagers were in the hospital corridor when Melissa and other nurses brought Peter on a stretcher.

"Mom, how is he?” Scott asked when his mother passed.

"Not now, Scott. I'll be right back, okay?” Said Melissa, entering the room.

After a few minutes, they saw the other nurses leaving the room.

"Melissa said that you can now enter. But don't disturb the patient, please. He's been through a lot.” said one of the nurses. Scott agreed and everyone went silent.

Melissa was just finishing settling him in bed, regulating the speed of his IV medication. Her eyes were puffy.

"Why hasn't he woken up yet?” Asked Isaac, sitting on the hospital bed, looking at Peter's face, which was practically unrecognizable, with one eye closed and all other bruises and fractures.

"He woke up in the middle of the surgery." she commented "He was sedated again. But since the medication doesn't seem to work very well for your kind, maybe he'll wake up soon." she tried to smile.

"He said something when he woke up?” Asked Jackson.

"Not much." replied the nurse, not looking anyone in the eye.

"You're lying." growled Jackson, walking over to her. Scott placed himself between the two, protecting his mother.

"He was crying and asking to stop." she replied, wiping away a tear "I'll get the test results and let John know." she said, leaving the room.

However, before she stopped in front of Lydia who was crying with wide eyes looking at Peter.

"Want to come with me, dear?” Melissa asked worriedly, drawing everyone's attention.

Lydia shook her head, and Jackson sat down next to her and she let herself be hugged by him.

Melissa left, and a few minutes later John entered. He looked tired, even exhausted.

Stiles put his hand on his father's shoulder when he sat near the other's headboard, running his hands through Peter’s hair.

"I thought you healed more quickly." said John, seeing his partner's sorry state.

"Sedated is a little difficult, sheriff." grumbled Laura, opening her eyes and glaring at him. "What did I say about keeping your hands to yourself?" Doyou want to lose them?" she threatened, looking with her red eyes.

The teenagers were relieved to see the other awake. Stiles was surprised by Peter's reaction.

Derek and Lydia looked at her with fear.

John took his hands off the other and wiped them over his face.

“Now is not a good time. I want to talk to Peter." he said, trying not to shout.

"And I always wanted a pony, but I never got one." said Laura sulkily, trying to get up and chase everyone off the bed.

"Something's wrong." murmured Lydia, looking at Laura, drawing the attention of others.

When she finally managed to get up, she couldn't help but cringe in pain and had to bite her fist to stifle her howling. After the shock, she turned the fist she had bitten at an odd angle and everyone could hear the bones giving and breaking.

Isaac, who was closer, came over and took her arm when he saw that she was paler than before. He saw the bruises on her face improving, as well as all the other bruises on her body. The hand that had been broken a few seconds ago was already healed and a healthier color adorned her cheeks. But he pulled away when she opened her eyes and looked at him smiling, her eyes shining red.

"You're scaring them." said John, trying to convince her.

Derek never took his eyes off her, who smiled at her and winked.

"Where is he?” Asked the sheriff, already irritated.

"I don't know." she replied, walking away.

"How do not you know? You share the same body!"

“And you are his partner. One partner is supposed to know where the other is mainly during a heat.” Said Laura. John seemed to have felt the blow.

"He's not with her." Lydia said to the sheriff, approaching.

Laura looked at her, narrowing her eyes.

"And how do you know?” She asked with a cynical smile.

"I just see you." replied Lydia, looking at her with frightened eyes "You are always on his right side, and sometimes you switch places." she gestured, looking glazed in the movements of her hands "And before, there was a boy here." he said, looking at Laura.

"A boy? What are you talking about? Can you see Laura?” John shook the young redhead.

"Of course. Can’t you?" she replied, looking at him confused.

"How was this boy?” Asked Laura, approaching Lydia.

"Little. About five years. Fair skin and light hair with curls at the ends." she said, curling a lock of her hair "Sad blue eyes.”

"Do you remember anything else?” Urged Laura.

"Crying. He was crying. Sitting here." She was pointing to the hospital bed where Laura had been lying recently. “He held his legs against his body and looked scared.”

Laura seemed sad to hear this and sat on the bed, sighing.

"At least it wasn't Junior." She commented, with a weak laugh.

“Who is Junior? And how can you be Laura? What boy are you talking about? Where the hell is Peter?” Asked Stiles, breathless.

Laura smiled as she looked at the boy.

"I and Peter combined everything from the beginning. I did to him what he did to her afterwards." she pointed to Lydia, who was hugging Jackson "We wanted revenge for the fire, but things didn't go exactly as we planned." Laura told a very short version of the facts. "And I had some surprises when I arrived here." she said tapping her index finger on her right temple. "It was already a little crowded when I arrived." 

"And why didn't you say that before ?!" John was upset.

"You were testing me, and I tested you too. You haven't told me about your research these past few months, why should I tell you about mine? I told you what you need to know so that I could continue mine. But you didn't do your part. You didn't keep him safe.” she said, tapping her finger on his chest with every word she said.

"I thought he would always have an alpha with him, but I was wrong. Didn't you say you were never going to leave him? Where were you that didn't help you during the attack ?!” He replied, pushing her onto the bed.

"Exchanging accusations will not take us anywhere" Scott, said trying to calm the spirits "And enough of secrets! You both want what is good for him. We all want that too. So we need to know exactly what's going on." He ended, in a slightly altered tone.

Laura and John looked surprised.

"If you talk to me in that tone again, you'll wish you were never born, puppy." Laura warned, making the others laugh when Scott took a step back.

Laura sighed, and closed her eyes. She opened them when he felt a small hand hold hers.

"I missed you." Derek said, snuggling up to her side. She couldn't help but smile. It was good to have her brother around knowing that she was her.

“What did you mean by "crowded"?” Asked Isaac in a low voice. He seemed to be afraid of her.

Realizing this, she let her eyes go back to the usual blue. He relaxed.

"There seemed to be more people here. It was chaotic. Several voices speaking at the same time. At first I thought it was just thoughts." she said, caressing her brother's hand. “Until one of them appeared to me.”

"And who was it?” Asked Allison, drawing Laura's attention.

Laura looked her up and down. Allison was very much like Cora. Laura smiled at her half sister.

"Someone with whom I had spent three long months in a cell." She replied, making Isaac go pale.

"But you stayed there with Peter." replied the sheriff, without understanding. Derek nodded, he remembered that.

"No, I said he was beside himself. I didn't spend three months with him, I spent three months with a suicide boy named Júnior until he was my Peter again. That's when I realized that something wasn't right." She said "Peter had no knowledge about them.”

"They? Is there any other besides this Junior?" John seemed horrified by this.

"He has multiple personalities." Stiles commented, drawing the attention of others "Makes sense." Laura agreed.

"A sixteen year-old girl named Pi and a little boy named Pete, whom she mentioned and I never saw, I just heard." she explained to the sheriff.

"And he just cried?" Stiles tried to guess. Laura nodded "Just as Lydia described." She spoke thoughtfully.

"Is that what you were doing? Was that your research?” Asked John.

"No. I already know that they were created by Peter himself. What I want to know is what led him to create them.” she said, looking at the sheriff.

Before he could say anything, they were interrupted by the bedroom door being opened. Melissa was back.


	18. Dissociation

When Melissa entered the room, she was shocked to see that Peter was off his medication, which was leaking on the floor.

"What do you think you are doing ?! You cannot disturb the patient like that. This bed is for him to rest. Has he not been through much already?" she flew in the direction of who she thought was Peter, scaring everyone else around, after putting the test results on the slip at the foot of the bed "You shouldn't have taken the medication off. As much as it doesn't solve a lot for you, at least relieve it a little. You must be in horrible pain." she helped Laura to lie down again, reconnecting the medication.

"I'm fine." Laura started to speak, but the nurse didn't give her a chance.

"And you shouldn't be sitting like that. The whole suture will burst, like this. And you don't want to redo it, do you? By the way, are you sure you didn't miss a single point? Not feeling anything?”

"Suture? Where?” Asked Laura, not understanding what Melissa was referring to.

"Melissa, Peter doesn't -" began John, being interrupted by the nurse.

"I understand." the nurse raised her hand, making John shut up "He doesn't remember." sighed, putting a smile on her face and sitting on the corner of the bed.

Laura moved as far away as she could. That woman was scaring her.

"It's normal not to remember such attacks, Peter. What you went through was very traumatizing." she said, trying to calm her down as she seemed increasingly scared "You had surgery as soon as you arrived and most of the procedures have been done and the samples collected.”

“Samples? What samples?” Asked Laura, changing her tone.

"Fluid, honey." Melissa replied in a calm voice, making the blood drain from Laura's face.

Before anyone could stop, Laura stepped forward at the foot of the bed, pulling out the clipboard, and consequently releasing the medication again.

"You're going to get hurt like that." Melissa said, trying to get Peter to lie down again.

Laura took the woman's hands away and scanned Peter’s medical record since his admission. Some terms jumped out at him "anuperineal laceration, with colpoperineorrhaphy and sphincteroplasty, after bimanual examination", "ecchymosis in the cervical region, with signs of manual asphyxia", "with signs of bradypnea and cyanosis", "skin lacerations on the back", "large amount of ecchymosis in the skull region with the presence of comminuted fracture", "presented hematemesis during surgical procedures", "I indicate blood culture, beta HCG and fluid sample collections"; and when she finished reading it, her breathe was heavy.

She dropped the clipboard and took a deep breath. She noticed that Melissa was at her side again and was drying her face. She hadn't even realized it when she started crying.

She thought about how Peter probably had no idea what really happened, or if he did, how he must be scared and alone. She wiped her eyes and closed her eyes tightly, she needed to calm down.

“Calm down. Crying will not help you at all." said John, making her face him with red eyes and an unfriendly expression.

Before he could dodge, he was hit hard by Laura's fist, which flew towards him.

She saw the sheriff's surprised face, and it made her feel calmer. She smirked at him, before going to find Peter.

John saw the red eyes disappear, giving way to frightened blue eyes. When the person looked at him with a horrified expression, whimpered and walked away, bumping into Isaac, John was sure that Laura had gone to get Peter.

"He's just scared." Lydia said to Isaac, who was trying to hold the boy who was struggling and crying "It's okay, Pete. We won't hurt you." She said and he looked at her when he heard his name.

"Is it the boy?" Isaac wanted to make sure, before releasing him. Lydia nodded.

As soon as he was free, Pete walked away, keeping his distance from everyone.

"What is she talking about? Melissa asked, not understanding Peter's sudden change in attitude.

"That's not Peter. It's a kid." said Scott "I swear I'll explain the rest later." Scott promised, approaching the door, to prevent the werewolf from escaping.

"Do you know where you are?” Lydia asked, with a smile at the boy who was looking at her in fright.

"No." Pete replied in a low voice, looking at her curiously.

The timbre of his voice as well as his entire body expression was totally different from Peter or Laura, it was definitely childish.

"In a hospital" said Lydia "Here they take care of injured people who need help, like you." she explained "That girl is a nurse, and she helps people to feel better." she pointed to Melissa, who waved bye "Aren't you feeling a little better already? It doesn't hurt that much, does it?" she tried to give him an encouraging smile, she knew that thanks to Laura, the injuries were much better.

He agreed. And when she reached out to him, and after a little hesitation, he accepted.

Lydia took him to the bed and helped him to lie down. Melissa smiled as she approached and explained that she needed to put him on medication so that he would feel less pain. The redhead distracted him while Melissa punctured a new vein, since Laura had burst the one that was being used when she jumped to reach the clipboard.

And it didn't take long for the boy to fall asleep. He fell asleep holding Lydia's hand, looking at ease with the redhead.

"Now could anyone explain to me exactly what madness was this?" Melissa asked in a low voice so as not to wake the werewolf.

"I need coffee." John commented, asking her to follow him. "A whole bottle of coffee." he mumbled.

"I'll go with you." Stiles volunteered. He hated hospitals, and standing there looking at Peter in that state was making him nervous.

He put his hand on Pete's leg in a quick show of affection and left with the two of them in the direction of the cafeteria, closing the door when he left.

The other teenagers, seeing that Pete was finally resting, turned off the light and scattered around the room, trying to get more comfortable.

All faces turned towards the door when they heard the handle turn and open a crack. A hand grabbed the wall, pressing the light switch, making the patient in bed move.

A man, who looked to be in his late sixties and wearing a white coat holding a stainless steel tray with some instruments, came in unceremoniously, smiling at the teenagers who covered their eyes trying to protect themselves from the light.

"Wow! How many visits." said the doctor, taking the clipboard and examining the attached results "How interesting." he thought aloud, looking at Peter.

"Was it you who helped him before?” Asked Isaac curiously.

"No. We just changed the shift." replied the doctor, smiling in his direction "That's why I'm doing the round.”

He tried to be pleasant, but the smell of hospital impregnated him caused a discomfort in the werewolf.

"I need to examine the patient." he said as he approached the headboard and turned Peter's face from side to side, checking for bruises.

Obviously, with all the movement, Pete woke up and was not happy to see a stranger with his hands on him and started to whimper.

"Are you in pain here?” The doctor asked, pressing a spot on his neck that looked like a fingerprint.

Allison and Scott thought it best to leave when they heard the cry. The doctor agreed and said that the fewer people in the environment would be better. The others, on the other hand, refused to leave Peter, Laura, or whoever came that time for whatever reason.

Pete woke up and was startled by the doctor, and he tried to dodge and approach Lydia in an attempt to protect himself.

"He just wants to see if you're better." Lydia said and he looked at the doctor, narrowing his eyes. She shook his hand and smiled.

"We're going to open here, okay? I need to see your back." said the doctor, already lifting his apron.

The teenagers saw their faces when they saw the condition of the other's back. Various cuts and bruises of various shades covered the surface. Pete squirmed, not liking the feel of the cold fingers on his back.

The doctor then moved his arm back and forth, and seemed happy with the lack of pain. But when he felt a bruise on his ribs, Pete screamed and cringed, crying.

"Are you in a lot of pain here?" confirmed the doctor, shaking his hand again. Pete nodded with his head, still crying "And here?" he moved his hand a little higher, the boy nodded "Yes. I think you have some broken ribs. I'll order an x-ray and then a vest. But it's good to avoid any sudden movement, okay?” He said and Pete wiped his eyes. Lydia and Derek helped him put on his apron again.

The boy calmed down and lay down again.

"Well, now I need to check the other parts. Perhaps it would be better if you waited outside." commented the doctor, gesturing to the underside.

None of the teenagers moved and the doctor sighed, annoyed. He tried to get Pete to move so he could do the exam.

The doctor's irritation was visible when he saw that the patient would not cooperate. Without much patience, he lifted Pete's legs, and brought him further down the bed by his hip, which obviously caused the boy who started crying and struggling to despair. The doctor, in turn, ignored everything and continued, prostrating himself at the foot of the bed.

The teenagers began to question whether it would not be better to do the exam later, since not even Lydia could calm the boy, who was getting more and more agitated.

"Of course not. He is not the only patient in this hospital." the doctor replied rudely, putting on surgical gloves and lifting the boy's legs.

He casually covered the patient with the sheet up to his knees, so that he would have some privacy, opened his legs and touched the stitches without ceremony.

The effect was instantaneous. Pete, who was already agitated, became hysterical, which made him struggle with more violence. That, if he were really in a body fit for his mental age would not be much of a problem. But that was not the case. The same energetic and violent movements in a thirty-two-year-old werewolf did a lot of damage, no matter how badly that werewolf was in physical condition.

And it didn't take long for the damage to occur. Lydia was thrown to the floor when Pete shook his arm, and the doctor had his eyebrow split when the boy's foot hit him hard.

Jackson and Isaac wasted no time trying to contain Peter, while the doctor ran out the door for help.

"You look terrible, Adam. Could you at least try to cover it up a little? " Said Sandra, nudging her partner.

"It’s stupid that we have to come here to get this statement. I doubt that there was any crime. For me it was a dirty game that got out of hand." he wrinkled his nose.

Adam was going to continue to complain when he and his partner were almost hit by nurses who were running down the hall.

With the arrival of the nurses, the teens were chased out of the room when the team began to contain the patient.

Hearing Pete's desperate screams, Jackson and the others were indignant.

“This is absurd!" Jackson complained when he was prevented from entering the room again, and decided to call his father.

Isaac and the others decided to look for John and Melissa. Perhaps the nurse and the sheriff would have better luck accessing the room.

The screams inside the room echoed through much of the hospital.

"Do you still think it was just a game?" Sandra asked Adam when she saw his startled expression upon hearing the screams.

When the sheriff returned with the others, he and Melissa entered the room and saw Pete pinned to the bed with the restraints in the position the doctor needed, while one of the nurses sedated him. Melissa was horrified by Pete's condition and the doctor's attitude.

"But what the fuck do you think you're doing?” John snapped as he approached Pete, running his hands through his hair.

When the doctor saw John's concern and care for the patient, he changed his attitude from water to wine and began to be kind.

"I know it seems extreme, but understand" he asked softly "This test is essential according to the result of his blood test. I needed to check the state of the external points, since they are in excellent condition, it made it possible to do the rest of the exam." he said, trying to calm the sheriff "The sooner I make this diagnosis, the faster we will know the state of his cervix and if there is really the possibility of taking this pregnancy to an end, if he wishes" explained, shocking John "Just the fact that he is pregnant is already a miracle. I have never seen a case like this in my entire career." he added, looking fascinated.

"Cervix ?! " John was startled.

As much as he knew about the previous pregnancy and the external changes in the anatomy of the other, it was strange to think about all the other details.

"Ah yes. He has a very rare condition! Two fully functioning reproductive organs! I have never seen a case like this documented before. Everything looks fine, though. The cervix appears tightly closed. Of course, later on I think it is better to monitor closely with periodic ultrasound. This if he is going to continue the pregnancy, due to the facts that led to the conception.”

"So ... is he pregnant ?!” He asked, sitting on the bed, looking at Peter. He looked pale "And the aggressor is the father?”

"Unless he has had another partner in the last few days, I would say that there are great chances, yes." said the doctor "But to be sure it’ll be necessary a paternity test.”

Laura had been walking around looking for Peter until she saw what looked like a forest from a distance. Which was strange, since she had never seen her there before. The settings she was used to were nothing more than versions of the environments Peter used to visit, like his house, the sheriff's, the supermarket. It was basically a small neighborhood.

As she approached the forest, she felt bad. It was as if the air there was heavier. There were no sounds of birds or other animals. However, when she entered the closed forest, she noticed that, despite everything, that forest was familiar to her, because it reminded her of her old backyard. She kept walking until she found an old trail she used to walk on when she was a child. At the end of the trail she saw Peter sitting on the floor, hugging his legs.

"Peter." she called, getting close to him.

But she heard no answer. He was staring at a spot at the top of the tree in front of him. She followed his gaze and saw a werewolf hanging and cut in half.

"I was looking for you." she said in a low tone as she put her hand on his shoulder.

When he looked at her, she saw that he was crying. He did not sob or move. If she didn't see the tears streaming down her eyes, she would have a hard time believing it. He didn't make any noise.

She bent down and hugged him. After a while, he hugged her back.

"You can't hide forever, Peter. You need to go back.” she said, stroking his hair.

Some time had passed. Melissa was back at work. And John and the others were thrown around the room, most of them dozing. John was the only one who was still wide awake. His thoughts were racing, he couldn't sleep even if he wanted to.

He turned when he saw something move.

Blue eyes stared at him. Eyes he would recognize anywhere. He gave a small smile and put a hand in the other's hair. The smile widened when he saw the other enjoying the affection.

The two stood looking at each other for a while. None knew what to say, despite having several important topics to discuss.

"I think dinner will be for another day." Peter spoke with some difficulty, looking at John. His throat was dry and irritated from Pete's screams.

"We can ask for something to deliver." John replied, shrugging. Peter looked a little disbelieving "I have a gun and I'm the sheriff. I think I can convince them to deliver something here." he bragged, making the other laugh and moan in pain then "Rest." he said, playing with his mate's hair.

"Will you be here when I wake up?” Asked Peter, after yawning, and his eyes were already closing.

"Of course " he replied smiling when he saw the other fall asleep again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technical terms:
> 
> Anuperineal laceration - a wound or tear in the anus or perineum.
> 
> Colpoperineorrhaphy - suture of the vaginal mucosa designed to remake the perineum in order to prevent the fall / displacement of any organ.
> 
> Sphincteroplasty - surgical repair of a sphincter.
> 
> Bimanual examination - gynecological examination.
> 
> Ecchymosis in the cervical region, with signs of manual asphyxia - purplish marks in the neck region compatible with strangulation attempts.
> 
> Bradiapnea - slower breathing rate than healthy.
> 
> Cyanosis - bluish color in the extremities and lips due to the deficiency or absence of oxygen in the organic cells.
> 
> Skin lacerations on the back - cuts of skin on the back.
> 
> Large amount of ecchymosis in the skull region with the presence of comminuted fracture - purple marks in the region of the head with fracture in which the bone was divided into two or more fragments.
> 
> He presented hematemesis during the surgical procedures - he vomited blood during the surgeries.
> 
> I indicate blood culture, beta HCG and collections of fluid samples - I indicate blood tests for the presence of fungi or bacteria, pregnancy tests and collections of body fluids that do not belong to the victim.


	19. I don't care

Two days have passed since Peter returned.

As soon as the doctors knew he was awake and seemed calm, the restraints were lifted. Then they brought the results of their exams and the doctor together with a therapist from the hospital explained all the procedures, why each one was needed and what was the real state in which they brought him to the hospital.

To say that Peter was shocked would be to state the obvious. If he didn't see the marks and scars on his body, he would think it was all just a big prank of bad taste.

When the pack told him about his dissociation of personality he froze. And if it weren't for Laura confirming everything they said and Lydia physically describing both Laura and the boy who had taken his place, he wouldn't believe a word.

Unlike the others, who for lack of information, thought that everything was just a bad phase caused by stress, both he and Laura knew that it was something much worse. He was a psychologist. He had spent six long years studying and specializing. He knew very well that this type of occurrence was rare and was caused by major physical and emotional trauma. Nobody goes out creating extra personalities for nothing.

After that day of great revelations, he noticed that everyone avoided leaving him, staying almost constantly in the hospital. The impression he had was that they expected him to freak out at any moment. He was extremely happy with the affection. But being constantly accompanied by people who seemed to step on eggs near him was frustrating. On the second day, he managed to get everyone back to their normal routine. John finally got back to work and the teenagers and Derek home where they were probably playing video games and eating junk food.

He was getting ready to go into the shower when Melissa came in with the medications and materials to renew the dressings that had not yet healed.

“Walking around the room, Mr. Peter. Are you feeling better?” She asked with a smile.

“I can pee without shitting myself.” he replies, shocking her “Yeah, so I think I'm much better.” he gave her a radiant smile for the nurse and friend.

Melissa had a shocked expression for a few moments, until she realized he was joking and started to laugh.

Peter relaxed when he heard his friend's laughter. It was nice to see someone acting normally around him.

“I'm so good that I'm even going to make your job easier and take a shower.” he said, taking off the pajamas that John had brought when he refused to stay wearing the hospital gown for another day.

"Are you sure you don't prefer a sponge bath, Mr. Hale?" She asked with a toneo that was anything but sexy, raising her eyebrows mockingly.

He was surprised when she continued to play and laughed. It was good to laugh for nothing.

“What a sassy nurse! Déja vu.” he laughed, remembering his nurse who ended up in the trunk of her own car. Without meaning to, Melissa had faithfully imitated her.

They both laughed, and he continued to undress. After all, she had seen it over and over again while changing his dressings.

“Did anyone come here before you?” He asked curiously as he entered the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

“Not that I saw. Why?” She replied before hearing the shower turn on.

"I had the impression that someone had entered here before." he commented in a slightly louder voice.

Without realizing it, he ended up spending too much time in the bath. The hot water helped to relax his muscles. Reluctantly he turned off the shower and dried himself carefully. He wrapped the towel around his waist when he saw that he had forgotten his clean pajamas in the room.

He opened the door and left. He froze when he saw that whoever was waiting for him on the other side was not the nurse but two policemen.

Adam was surprised when he saw the other man leave the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Even with a few bruises, he couldn't help but notice how handsome Peter was still. In fact, the years had only done him good. He felt an elbow in the ribs, and only then did he realize that the other was red from head to toe with a frightened expression, he probably would have noticed that he had stared at him.

"We didn't know you were -" Adam started to say, but apparently he couldn't find words. He was pointing at the other, trying to explain himself.

“We will wait outside while you dress.” Sandra saved him from embarrassment, pulling him out.

She dragged him out and closed the door, getting ahead and crossing her arms.

“Not even a word.” Adam asked, seeing that the other tried not to laugh.

“I didn't say anything.” replied the partner, with a giant smile.

After a while, they heard the door being opened by a properly dressed Peter who said they could come in.

He sat on the hospital bed and crossed his legs, waiting for the two to speak.

“Do you know why we are here, Mr. Hale?” Asked Sandra, pulling up a chair to sit down, and taking a notepad out of her pocket and a pen.

“John commented that they would come to get my testimony about the aggression.” he replied in a low voice “And you can call me Peter.” he completed, finally facing the two.

She smiled.

“The security cameras in your house did not help much in identifying the suspect. Could you describe him?” Asked Adam. Sandra was surprised, the cameras had filmed the attacker's face perfectly. Even a search was already underway.

Peter looked at him in surprise. He thought they would have a little more tact.

“He was tall. Maybe a little more than 6,2ft. Athletic build. Dark skinned. And his hair was shaved.” he replied, lowering his eyes.

“And did you know him?” Asked the policeman, earning an ugly look from his partner. They already knew that they had already seen each other. The sheriff himself said they found a recording on security cameras at the city's supermarket the same day. He was just testing the poor guy and making him feel uncomfortable in their presence.

“I saw him earlier when I was with Derek at the supermarket. I think he was with an acquaintance of my sister's.” he said.

“So you knew the attacker?” Said Adam, rudely. Peter looked at him when he noticed the change in tone.

“No. I knew Deucalion. But I hadn't seen him in several years. If he hadn't greeted me, I probably wouldn't have recognized him.” he explained, staring at the policeman. He did not understand the reason for his hostility.

“Could you describe what happened that day?” Sandra asked, taking charge of the situation before it got even worse.

“My eldest son went to school early. Derek and I stayed at home. After lunch we went to the supermarket. There we met with Deucalion. He was with two more people. A woman and the ... aggressor.” he said, looking very uncomfortable talking about it.

“Is that where the attacker had access to your address?” Asked Adam. He looked bored.

"Unless he can read minds, I don't see how he could have done it." replied Peter seriously. Did the policeman seem to think he had invited the attacker to his home? What a sick idea.

“Maybe your sister's acquaintance passed on to him?” insisted Adam, staring at the youngest.

“I bought the house five months ago and the only ones who have my address are my children's friends, John, Melissa, my lawyer and a social worker. And I very much doubt that any of them gave my address to the attacker or invited him for tea.” replied Peter, in an acid tone.

“And after you left the supermarket?” Sandra tried to return to the subject.

“I had the impression that they were following us. Then I went to the police station to see if John could leave early and leave with us.” he said, but stopped when he felt a tightness in his chest when he thought if everything could have been different if he had come back with them “But he said who had a lot of work and sent me ahead. When we got home, Derek and I took the bags inside, when we realized there was someone in the hall. I told Derek to run out the front door and seek help. When he left, I went into the hall to avoid the person chasing him. That's when I saw the same guy from the supermarket. We started to fight, but he was much stronger. I remember him squeezing my neck, hitting my head against the floor and punching me in the face.” he finished.

“Nothing else after that?” Asked Sandra, writing everything down.

“No, the next memory I have is waking up with the room full of people sleeping in the corners.” he gave a sad smile.

Sandra, more than quickly, seeing that they already had all the material they needed, said goodbye to Peter and dragged his partner before he spoke anything more rude.

The two decided to have coffee at the cafeteria before leaving.

There, they talked about Adam's rudeness and he explained to him that he thought Peter was lying. They debated for a long time, taking advantage of the fact that they didn't have any more occurrences to check. Neither of them noticed the person sitting at the next table, who took note of everything they talked about.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Isaac and the other teenagers finally went back to school after the weekend. They were happy that Peter would finally be discharged that day.

Once again, they were gathered in the cafeteria, at the table that practically already had their seats reserved and that everyone referred to as "the VIP table", when they heard a buzz coming from a table in the other corner of the cafeteria. They could clearly hear giggles, the surname Hale, and derogatory words.

The humans of the pack didn't understand when the werewolves started to growl, looking at a fixed spot in the cafeteria. And they were slow to react when Isaac got up from the table with yellow eyes, followed by Scott and Jackson.

Isaac didn't say anything when he approached the table where some of the boys from the last year were sitting. He smiled wickedly when he noticed that the boy who said the rudeness noticed that someone was after him when his friends opened their eyes wide when they saw Isaac and the others.

He didn't even give the time for the other to offer any excuse. As soon as the boy turned to face him, he pushed his head against the table with absurd ferocity. He could see clearly when a tooth jumped out of the boy's mouth, falling innocently on the table.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Jackson commented, placing his hands on the shoulders of the boy's friends, who were about to get up. When they felt the werewolf's heavy hands and his smile that promised pain, they changed their minds and sat down again.

Scott ignored the group and picked up a magazine that was open on the table, which had caught his eye from the photo, a photo of Peter sleeping in the hospital bed after the attack. He turned the pages quickly and saw that this was not the only one. They had dozens of photos of him, of his injuries and even old photos from school.

“How did you get that?” Scott thought aloud and Isaac snatched the magazine from his hand to look at what it was about.

“At the newsstand. Isaac's new daddy is well ... known ... in the city, it seems.” said the boy that Isaac had hurt, after spitting some blood. He had a smirk. “If you know what I mean.” he added spitefully.

“I don't know what you mean, you loser. Want to explain?” Growled Jackson, pulling the boy by the collar.

“They are not worth it, guys. Let's go back to the table and finish lunch.” Scott tried to calm them down, dragging them back to the VIP table.

When Isaac returned, he threw the magazine down on the table angrily. Lydia took it and started flipping through the magazine, summarizing what she read to others. It had details of the attack, which included pictures at the hospital, diagnoses and the pregnancy, even a possible explanation about Peter's supposed promiscuous past, whose "evidence" was based on reports from people who studied with him in high school. It was pure sensational garbage.

“I don't think it's a good idea to show him that now. You heard what the doctor said: he cannot be irritated. And he had enough stress in the past few days.” said Allison, concerned.

“I agree, but if this is on newsstands, we will not be able to hide it for a long time.” Stiles replied “This magazine arrived at a school, where there is no one else of his age group, and already had buzz about it.”

“That's true. He doesn't stay at home all the time. Especially now with a baby on the way. This town is too small, he'll end up hearing a comment here or there.” agreed Lydia.

“Peter would never do these things! He can't even talk about sex without stuttering or looking like a tomato! Let alone have an orgy with the basketball team!” Isaac said “That's a lot of bullshit.”

“If he will find out one way or the other, I think it would be better if it were for us. At least he will have time to prepare until he could file a case for libel and defamation” Jackson said irritably, he did not like the content of the magazine at all.

“We can decide that later, he didn't even leave the hospital. Let's take a few days and see how things go. We don't even know how he will react when he enters the house again.” Scott tried “We will tell him later. Who guarantees that they will talk about it for a long time. Something else happens tomorrow and everyone forgets.”

Everyone agreed, although none seemed very confident that the matter would be soon forgotten.

After school, they went straight home. They were careful to clean everything so that there was no residue or odor that would remind him of the attack. The floor and handrail had been set up the previous day by Mr. Ferdinand, and everything was in place. It was as if nothing tragic had happened there.

It didn't take long for the sheriff to arrive with Peter and Derek from the hospital. Peter still had some injuries, but he was much better. Everyone suspected that being pregnant was influencing the speed with which the werewolf healed.

John parked the car and got out to help Peter out. Derek stayed behind and brought his uncle's bags, which were with him in the back seat. The two stepped in front, and he could have sworn he heard strange clicks. But he ignored it, since Peter didn't seem to notice anything.

As soon as he entered, Peter was greeted with hugs and kisses from the teenagers. Isaac was the last one, and he didn't seem to want to release him anytime soon.

“Did something happen?” He asked in the puppy's ear.

“Just glad you're back, Dad.” replied the curly-haired boy.

He gave the boy a huge smile when he finally released him. It was the first time he had been called that by him.

"No more than I am." he replied, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Go carry them yourself now." Derek said, throwing the bags at Peter's feet. "I'm exhausted." he complained when he leaned on Stiles, who hugged the boy so he wouldn't fall.

When he started to pick up his bags on the floor, Jackson ran and picked them up first. He gave an embarrassed smile, saying that he didn't mind taking them to his room. Only then did Peter realize that the teenagers were all in front of the corridor, trying to prevent him from even seeing the place where it all happened.

“Aren't you tired? Isn't it better to lie down for a while?” Asked John.

"Resting was the only thing I did these last few days." Peter laughed.

With the exception of Derek, he had the impression that everyone would be stepping on eggs around him. That thought discouraged him a little. He knew things would never be what they were, but he hoped that at least everyone would act naturally.

"Then you won't mind if I steal you for a little bit." John said, taking his hand and pulling him out of the house before any teenager could stop him.

They entered the house and John took the youngest to the kitchen table, where they sat.

Peter knew he couldn't avoid talking to the other for a long time, but he thought he would have at least a day or a few hours before facing a possible disappointment. He was not a pessimistic person, but he thought that what John wanted to tell him was not good. He would probably break up with him. He didn't blame him. Mark did the same thing with him before for much less.

“They explained everything that happened? Did they talk about your new situation?” Asked John, without looking at him.

“Yes. Even about the pregnancy.” Peter replied in a low voice. Years had passed, but being dismissed was still just as horrible.

“I just wanted to say that all this” he seemed to be looking for the right word “thing” he paused, with a strange expression “could be forgotten, understand?” said. When he saw that the other man had tears in his eyes, he was surprised. ”Why are you almost crying?”

“You're breaking up with me.” replied the youngest, unable to hold back the tears.

“No!” he replied desperately, making the other face him. “It is nothing like that! I don't give a damn what happened.” he said, surprising the other who looked shocked “No, that sounded wrong.” he thought out loud “Of course I care. You got hurt and when I get the son of a bitch I'm going to strangle him with my own hands.” he muttered to himself, not noticing that Peter was silent. “I'm terrible with words.” he lamented.

“Try to use small ones. It usually works with idiots.” suggested Laura, with her red eyes, before disappearing again.

“You are mine, and I will always be here. I don't want that to change.” he followed the harsh advice of the "talking cricket". It seemed to work. “Did it make sense now?” He asked anxiously.

The youngest did not answer. He just looked at him. He seemed to analyze whether what he heard was the truth.

Before he could say anything else, Peter threw himself into his arms, hiding his face in his neck.

“Wow, I'm so relieved.” admitted the werewolf “I thought you were going to break up with me.” he laughed, still crying a little “And just thinking about going through this again alone was already making me troubled.” he said, smiling. John was surprised by the comment “Taking care of a baby alone along with all this dissociation and still taking care of the other two was going to be an impossible task.”

“So are you going to carry this pregnancy forward?” John asked in surprise. At no time did he consider this child in the equation.

“Of course, why?” Replied the youngest, as if it were absurd to even think otherwise.

“I thought you would want to end it, taking into account the conception and everything.” he justified, a little embarrassed. Peter realized that he didn't like the idea of not being the child's father.

“Regardless of how it was conceived, it is my kid.” Peter explained smiling.

John smiled back.

After the conversation, the two returned to Peter's house, where they watched some movies with the teenagers, Derek and Melissa who had stopped by to see his bandages. They had dinner and at the end of the night they said goodbye to the nurse, Scott and Allison, who went home. Everyone else camped there. They put the two beds in the larger room together to fit everyone. Peter still tried to sleep with John in the office bed, but the puppies did not allow it at all. They said they had to get the horrible hospital smell out of him.

They were sleeping in a pile. Everyone somehow touched Peter, and consequently him, since Peter slept with his head on his chest, hugging him. An arm here, a leg there. It was a tangle of people, but in spite of everything, it was very comfortable. But despite all the comfort, John was unable to sleep a long time. His head was racing.

“Where did I get myself into?” John thought, worried.


End file.
